By IKE NNAMDI, The Sun Reporter, Washington DC.
Monday, February 5, 2007

Although the agenda of the closed-door meeting was not disclosed, sources said it dwelt extensively on the "political situation in Nigeria."

Those who attended the meeting include senior State Department officials, senior advisers to President George Bush, congressional leaders and some officials of the Homeland Security Department.

Dr. Kalu, who arrived Washington unannounced from the United Kingdom described the talks as "fruitful and a meeting with friends."

Daily Sun gathered that Dr. Kalu is also scheduled to meet with a congressional bipartisan group on Nigeria as well as brief the influential Council on Foreign Relations. Sources said the deepening interest on Gov. Kalu’s presidential candidacy follows Washington's concern about the religious leanings of candidates of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Congress (AC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). This follows the release of another dire prediction by United States intelligence agencies that "terror organizations might view Nigeria as an attractive alternative if a northern Muslim emerges as the next president of the country."

The prediction was contained in the latest National Intelligence Estimate, which says: "Nigerian election will be determined on religious and ethnic sentiments and a Muslim president could be an unintended magnet for terrorists." The document also stated that large-scale corruption and poverty would continue for the next 15 years, unless the nation elects a president who has both "administrative and political experience and a private sector-driven policy."

Administration officials said Gov. Kalu met some of the criteria they expect the next leader of Nigeria to possess. "He has been a successful businessman, a two-term governor, a democrat, who spoke out against the excesses of the ruling party even before the vice-president's face-off with President Olusegun Obasanjo," they said of Kalu.

White House sources said that Kalu's Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) was the face of the opposition in Nigeria because the governor has remained consistent in his criticism of government policies, even in the face of intimidation and loss of his businesses.

Administration officials also said that the interest in Gov. Kalu was not an interference in the internal affairs of a close ally, but Washington's effort to ensure that Nigeria "picks the best person for the job."
It was gathered that Gov. Kalu was one of five Nigerians whose names were forwarded to Abuja by the United States government after a request by the Federal Government last year, for suggestions on those "capable of moving the nation forward in the face of serious challenges."

When contacted, Gov. Kalu described his visit to the United States as "the last push in his campaign ahead of the crucial April election," adding: "I have been invited by several other important organizations and the Nigerian community to continue the discussion of how a PPA administration would, within a few months in power, restore Nigeria greatness by improving power supply and employment for most of our youths."

Gov. Kalu also plans to visit France and Germany on the invitation of their governments.