Abia North: Clear Your Name Of Corruption Case, Forget Senate, Group Urges Kalu

“Clear your name of corruption charges, which you have been evading for

nine years after leaving office before seeking another public office”

Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, a candidate for Abia North Senatorial District

re-run election has been counselled.
The advice was given to the former governor in Umuahia, capital of Abia

State, Nigeria by a pro-good governance group, Abia Youths Renaissance For

Good Governance, AYRGG.
In an interactive session with journalists to review the heated campaign

for the re-run election
ordered by a Court of Appeal, the Executive Director, Public Affairs of

ARGG, Mr Chris Onwukwe, decried the emergence of Chief Orji Uzor Kalu for

the election in the first instance.
“In well ordered societies, public officials resign from office to clear

their name of any allegations that may taint their names or compromise

their ability to perform in office, but the contrary is the case in

Nigeria.
“Indeed, it is a sad commentary on our nascent democracy that a man who

after exiting office as governor since 2007 has been exploiting the

lapses in our judicial system to answer to allegations of corruption

charges against him in the court. It is even sadder that the person in

question is seeking election into the distinguished office of the Senate

“From the Federal High Court, Mr. Kalu has gone to the Supreme Court all

in a bid to evade answering questions on the N5.6 billion he allegedly

stole while in office as Abia State governor, Onwukwe, a legal

practitioner argued.
Pressed further to substantiate his argument, Onwukwe referred to a

national daily, The Sun newspaper (owned by Kalu) which on Friday

January 15, 2016 reported that the Supreme Court has fixed March 18, 2016

to deliver judgment in the appeal filed by Kalu, challenging the

competence of the corruption charges of alleged N5.6 billion brought

against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The

former Abia State governor is challenging the propriety of his trial by

the Federal High Court over the charges.
Onwukwe who shared photocopies of the newspaper report, explained that

Kalu has asked the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Court of

Appeal, which upheld the charges levelled against him by the EFCC. He also

urged the trial court to quash the charges as no prima facie case was

established against him.
As a matter of good conscience, we advise chief Kalu to drop his ambition

of participating in the forthcoming Abia North Senatorial election re-run

election.
“The alleagations of stealing of N5.6b belonging to Abia State when he

was the governor of the State, is indeed a moral burden hanging like an

albatross on his neck.
“Chief Kalu should take the path of honour by throwing in the towel

considering the enormity of such heinous allegations especially in this

era of anti-corruption campaign.
“Abia North Senatorial district deserves better. We can't afford to be a

laughing stock at the national level. Other states presented senators

with impeccable characters, who in turn, have brought honour to their

senatorial districts at the Senate and subsequently able to attract

democracy dividends to their various States.
“We therefore urge Kalu to save the people of Abia North Senatorial

District a national monumental shame by stepping down from contesting a

position that requires a person with high moral standing with requisite

pedigree for the such exalted office and henceforth focus more attention

in clearing his name in his case with Economic EFCC) if he truly want to

be considered for any office by serious minded Nigerians” Onwukwe

maintained.
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