By Danlami Nmodu
As the battle for the 2015 presidency gathers momentum, stakeholders from different zones of the country have continued to hold strategy sessions.One zone where fevered activities have been going on behind the scenes, according to Newsdiaryonline.com sources is the South East.There is a renewed push for a genuinely Igbo platform f in the calculations toward 2015
Newsdiaryonline.com has learnt from impeccable sources that Igbo priests who are known to be key stakehoplders in the zone are not leaving the issue of their political future to chance anymore. Some of them have been meeting and strategizing too.One of such meetings took place in Umuahia, Abia state last Sunday ,it was reliably.
A source privy to the meeting by the clerics in Umuahia said after the opening of the Catholic Bishops Conference, some select bishops from states like Abia, Imo, and Ebonyi among others met .One key issue was how to rally round a platform that will advance the interest of the zone in Nigeria.
It was further learnt that the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA is one platform being considered as a rallying point now.It was therefore no surprise that the bishops met with top shots of PPA in attendance in Umuahia last Sunday an insider said.The select bishops at the meeting reportedly said they were prepared to work with PPA all things being equal.
Newsdiaronline.com sources insisted the Umuahia meeting by the cleric with PPA chieftains was an avenue for them to tell the party chiefs that some of them and some traditional rulers from the zone had earlier met with ex Governor Orji Uzor Kalu . Earlier report said Kalu was being urged to return to politics immediately by some stakeholders in the south east .
Aside from clerics and traditional rulers , it was also said reported that some youth and professionals , businessmen and politicians from the south east have also being meeting with Kalu in Lagos and Abuja insisting he should drop his latter-day non-challant attitude towards politics .
Igbo businessmen in Lagos met with the ex governor in Lagos last Thursday.That was a confirmation of an earlier report. It was learnt that the youngmen and businessmen who met him in Lagos last week insisted he should come back to politics.
Newsdiaryonline.com learnt however that the former governor told the group in Lagos that he doesn’t want to play politics. Kalu volunteered to help ‘arrange them’ and show those of them who may be interested the way forward politically.Not all the youth there were happy and some vowed they would find a way of forcing the ex governor back to politics it was learnt.
Though Kalu has refused to commit himself yet, there are those who say he will be one of the key contenders from the zone for the presidency ; or at least how politics shapes up in 2015 and beyond .One of those who hold this view said Kalu’s friends across the country are still actively in politics.And the latest feelers from the political circles indicate some realignment of forces nationwide may be in the offing, a move that may bring old friends together once again.
There are clear indications that even the PPA which the ex governor founded is regrouping and restructuring for the task ahead. Already ,a new national executive has been constituted.The new PPA exco is made up of National Chairman ,Chief Sam Nkire , Deputy /Nat Chairman (North) Alh. Kazaure Ahmed, Deputy /Nat Chairman (South) Barr. Kehinde Edun,National Secretary Com Peter Ojonugwa Ameh , National Treasurer ,Elder Emenike Nwachuku ,National Organising Sec Abiodun Noah, National Publicity Sec. Richmond Chukwurah and National Woman Leader Na’am Uwadinobi .Others Are National Financial Sec Mrs Akpa Elizabeth,National Legal Adviser Barr John Otanwa ,National Auditor Sam Okonedo, National Youth Leader John Okorosa and Deputy National Sec Segun Olabintan.
The renewed activity in the party is what stakeholders from the zone say they will continue to watch with keen interest to see how far the PPA can go in offering the South East a platform for future alliance talks or any other sort of political marriage with other parties.
