2019: Buhari not interested in automatic ticket ―Kalu

THE controversy ranging over whether President Muhammadu Buhari should be given an automatic ticket to run for the second term in the coming 2019 presidential election may not be necessary as one of the allies declared yesterday that the President may not be interested in being given an automatic ticket to re-contest.

Speaking with some journalists at a private wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport yesterday, former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, said Buhari may not accept an automatic ticket arrangement because of his principle that other candidates should be allowed to explore the democratic process to test their popularity.

This is just as he said the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would never bounce back to power because of the massive looting of the nation’s treasury during the last administration saying that the international community was outraged by the massive looting of the nation’s treasury by former ruling PDP.

Speaking on the automatic ticket for Buhari in the coming election, Kalu towed the line of other politicians calling on Buhari to go for primaries ahead of the 2019 elections adding that President Buhari as a Democrat would want every interested candidate to be given a chance to test their popularity and exercise their democratic right.

While maintaining that Buhari would want free and transparent primaries where an acceptable candidate would emerge, Kalu declared:

“Buhari himself is not even looking for an automatic ticket. Buhari is a man that is very fair and free in what he does. And his feeling is that if any candidate is willing to contest against him, he should come to the Eagle Square.

“And some schools of thought are saying ‘no, in the United State, Obama was given an automatic ticket. President Bush in the Republican Party was given an automatic ticket. President Clinton was given an automatic ticket.

“So, President Buhari is also feeling that automatic ticket for him is not right. He said, open the space for other people who also want to contest. He wants the openness of the primary to take place.

“The contest should be thrown open. There would be no rancour. We are in a democratic government and I would vote for the President. I’ve said it times without number, that President needs to consolidate on his achievements because the President is very popular. He is still the only person carrying 12 million votes on his back.” his tenure has been besieged by illness. So the President genuinely deserves the second tenure.”

On the ongoing move by the PDP to come back to power, Kalu reacted saying: “ How can they bounce back when the treasury was looted? How can they bounce back when the international community doesn’t see anything good in them? How can they bounce back when we gave them our treasury, they opened and looted it.

“We would call names if they want to us to call names in future. All the World Powers knew what happened and this is why they tactically insisted that PDP must leave power. PDP committed what was very shameful to be seen in a democratic process. There is no system that is void of corruption but going to loot is an affront to Nigerian people.

“They opened the treasury and looted it. President Buhari having been restrained by some World Powers not to open up what happened in the NNPC. If Nigerians know what happened in NNPC, those people would not pass this airport, people would not leave them. PDP will definitely go to oblivion, they would never win an election again in Nigeria unless they changed their name.”

He was, however, reluctant to comment on the cross carpeting of the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), saying, if he had the opportunity of advising him, he would have asked him to stay to rebuild the APC.

“To be honest with you, Atiku was my boss and he is still my boss. And I hardly don’t want to discuss Atiku Abubakar. You know he is very close to me. The question you are asking me is a lot of tasks but I wish him well. If I was to advise him before he left, I would say, ‘don’t leave. Let us build a large team together.’ If he wanted to contest against the President, it would be open at the Eagle Square. If he wins, we would support him.

“If the President wins, we would support the President. But running from one party, you remember I am the only Nigerian since democratic process who has been in only two parties. I have been in PPA and PDP. I didn’t run back and forward. No, I was in opposition since 2006 that I was deregistered in PDP. I’ve been in opposition until 16th of November last year when I joined the APC.

“It is not every election year we would go and form a new political party. It doesn’t entrench our democratic process. I am feeling it and I am seeing it that it is not the right thing to do, what are we going to teach the younger ones?“

On the position of the South East towards Buhari, Kalu said Buhari was gaining popularity and acceptance in the South East, emphasising that many leaders of thought are now seeing him in a different light.

“Even in the South East where he didn’t do well, I’m just coming from the South East. President Buhari is making a lot of inroads. The role he played during Anambra election, other Presidents would have written the results.

“They have done it before. But the President said, ‘no, every ballot paper must be counted’ and they were counted. If it is another President, APC would be jubilating home with victory. But President said, ‘no, I would not tolerate that.

“He warned the police, he warned the INEC, he warned the party and said ‘every one vote must be counted’ and that was what was done.

Have we ever had a President like that in Nigeria? The answer is no. Other ones would come and even put armoured cars in my house in Ikwerre. That’s what we have been seeing. So why don’t Nigerians embrace this man who is saying I might be slow but do things through the due process.

“I’ve spoken to some Catholic Bishops, Priests and some Anglican Bishops and some priests in Presbyterian Church who used to sit with me and criticised the President. They are now telling me, no, we don’t know the President is this kind of person.

“So I have been in the South East for the past two weeks. I have been there from election till now.

“So I know the mentality of our people now and they are going to vote for the man. Whether is PDP, APC or APGA, all of them are going to vote for the man. You can see Governor Umahi of Ebonyi has already endorsed the President for the second term. Whether Obiano (Anambra Governor) is crossing over to APC or PDP, he would definitely endorse the president. So the President has support in the region.”

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