By Eddie Onuzuruike
The above title came from one Peter A Kalu, who has joined the shameless band of smear campaigners against Senator Orji. It is no more news that this negative ragtag of hack writers have achieved no success since their efforts which have been rather inversely proportional to the rising profiles of Senator T A Orji.
Not joining issues with them though, the level of mendacity and falsehood spewed by them need not to be ignored. There is need to straighten some facts lest the unsuspecting public take them for real.
Kalu consistently wrote that Gov Orji encouraged Ogah to contest and ended up deceiving him at last. Mr Kalu who was so afraid of stating where he wrote from obviously wept more than the bereaved and typified the Igbo proverb where a man, absent in a burial exhumed leg-wise instead of going head ward. He spuriously yarned as if he was present where T A encouraged Ogah to join the political fray. Kalu is obviously intent on ingratiating himself as to benefit from Ogah’s trademark largess but I am sure that the Ogah I know would not support such high level blackmail.
As one philosopher averred, ‘figures do not lie but liars will figure.’ In the heat of 2011 second tenure campaign in Aba stadium, Elder Emma Adaelu, spokesperson and leader of the Ngwa group, for the umpteenth time reechoed T A’s vituperations that he would hand over to an Ukwa na Ngwa person come 2015 and for the assurance, he publicly endorsed Ochendo. Based on this often repeated promise and pact, Elder Emma Adaelu further instructed that all Ngwa sons and daughters should instantly jettison their guber quests for 2011 and support T A Orji while getting ready for 2015. This was not a unilateral decision as notables like Senators Nkechi Nwaogu, Abaribe, Adufus Nwagbara, and traditional heads were part of the declaration.
99% of the Ngwas harkened to this directive except renegades like Akomas and Reagan Ufomba that defiantly contested and lost hopelessly.
According to his promise, Gov Orji started his second tenure with a refrain on his lips, telling all who wanted to listen that power must shift which meant that he will hand over to an Abia South person. In consolidation of this promise, he opened his doors to many groups from the South who came on verification and solidarity visits. Prime in their minds was to avoid repetition of previous circumstances where aspirants wasted their resources and hopes dashed at the last moment. Among these supportive visitors are the Ngwa Professionals, the Ngwa supreme Council of traditional Rulers and many youthful organs.
In perfecting the agreed transition mode, in 2014, the Gov. led the PDP to officially zone the guber slot to Abia South senatorial Zone. This was communicated to stakeholders of PDP in a caucus meeting in the banquet hall and delivered to all present by a townsman of Uche Ogah, Sen. Emma Nwaka, eminent son of Isuikwuato and the de facto PDP chairman.
I am not denying the fact that Uche Ogah was a friend of the government then who identified with his state and may have rightly donated some empowerment vehicles, after all his elder brother, Dr Ogah, one of the few cardiologists in Abia presided over the health ministry as the commissioner for many years till May, 29, 2015.
PDP as democrats, reluctantly, allowed Uche Ogah to exercise one of his political rights of freedom to vote and be voted for. He participated in the primaries and came second, a good record for a greenhorn.
Sen. T A Orji as governor ran an open door policy and thus welcomed Abia sons and daughters with good ideas. Along that perspective, he honoured all invitations from communities, churches, professional groups and individuals. At different times he graced the homes of Barr. Friday Nwosu, Alex Otti and many others in varying ceremonies but publicly disclaimed allegations that he had anointed anybody.
If Ogah donated vehicles to the massive youth empowerment scheme of the state, is there anything wrong with that? Many people did, the government did, organizations keyed in and Ochendo as an individual did so to many societies, churches and gilds.
It is a big lie by Peter Kalu that vehicles donated by Ogah, were allocated on hire purchase bases. That’s actually where Kalu demonstrated that he was spinning a yarn to blackmail and be taken seriously. These are emphatically lies, damn lies! Kalu may have been somewhere else but not in Abia State.
The branded yellow cabs and buses were given free of all charges with fuel, oil and functional batteries. These vehicles still ply the roads of Abia till this hour, and rank seven out of ten vehicles on Abia roads. The lucky owners are daily on the roads and can be interviewed. In truth, they have in the past testified to many Journalists who did not believe that such could be dispensed without charges because nobody had done such in Abia before. On other false claims and allegations of the seemingly hungry Peter Kalu, I challenge him to make the documents public.
On a general note, the news that greeted Ochendo’s egalitarian wishes for Abia people, especially that of power shift made news for many years, how then could Ochendo have deceived Ogah. Ogah as a PDP member was aware of the zoning as proposed in the Abia Charter of Equity and must have been cautioned by friends and family. It is a huge lie to claim that he had a pact with Ochendo. Ochendo has not even deceived his enemies let alone a friend of government whose sibling was of the inner cabinet.
It has been said repeatedly in previous treatises that Uche Ogah has a fair chance and slight edge as age is on his side. Instead of following the counsel of present day Ahitophels, he should re-strategize and reinforce his structure with good men and women. There are ample time and opportunity to consolidate on his image and philanthropy. 2023 is just a number, it will soon be here, just like the millennium which many thought was far off but is here and now in the sixteenth year. Then power will be comfortably resting in Abia North, studded with political enigmas like Hon. Obinna Ekekwe, Nkiru Onyejiocha, Hon. Ogele, Agwu Ukpai, Barr. Umeh Kalu [SAN], Rocks Ukwu, Alex Otti, Gen. Ihejirika, Nnenna Ukeje, and many more. With these experienced pols, he can only make a difference with a solid foundation and early takeoff.
Dr Uche Ogah has ample friends and followers at his disposal. It could be likened to the relationship of honey and ants. People real and fake would come with wild suggestions and evil proposals. He could only decipher the good ones through pragmatism, tact, astute policies and most of all, God’s guidance. I wish him luck come 2023.