By Udo Uruakpa
When two are engaged in a war of words as we see and read in the dailies concerning the two former governors of Abia state, it is always good to listen to both parties in order to ascertain the bone of contention. In the raging controversy between the estranged former governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and his conquering successor, Sen. T.A. Orji which has brought about the current media war, one may be right to give a verdict on the truth of the matter having listened to both sides of the stories. Is it a war or unwarranted attack?
It is important to recall here that while Dr. Orji Kalu was the governor of Abia State between 1999 and 2007, his successor, the senator, Chief T.A. Orji, was between 2007 and 2015. Any indigene of Abia State who had attained the legal eighteen (18) years of age by 1999 and lived in the state like this writer, was a subject of the two elongated tenures and can conveniently tell you that we are living witnesses to what happened in these two regimes. In other words, we did not only listen, we also saw it all and can knowledgeably tell the bone of contention between the duo now.
It is very easy to deduce the truth of the recent imbroglio. It has become glaring that while the former Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu is battling with how to regain his lost glory and political relevance, his able successor, former Governor T.A. Orji came in the eye of the storm because of his towering height in the political leadership of the state which some see as envy.
If you can reason with me, you will agree that had Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu succeeded in becoming the FIFA president he contested for, he would not have the time to join issues with his acclaimed political successor, Sen. T.A. Orji. The same thing would have been the case if he had succeeded in becoming the president of Nigeria which he was a candidate of. And in trying to show (may be out of frustration) that he can also become a senator after serving as a governor; he descended to contest the senatorial seat of Abia North but eventually failed. If na you, you go bi happy?
In the case of Sen. T.A. Orji, he obediently served as the Chief of Staff of the state and became elevated to the position of a governor. And with the sense of having a future, he treaded softly and wisely to carve a niche for himself in Abia politics. The climax was the integrity he displayed by ensuring that equity is enthroned hence the emergence of an Ukwa/Ngwa son from Abia South Senatorial Zone as governor and his successor. This is how he woke the sleeping dog up and may have been the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
The baffling side of the story being that of some of Ochendo’s kinsmen from Umuahia and some in Ibeku, his community who held clandestine meetings to stop the equity agenda became annoyed when they failed. Also annoying is that some of them who were in the fore-front of his administration and obviously got genuine contracts for road construction but used spade and head-pans to scoop sand to fill pot-holes for reasons known to them, instead turned around against him in order to discredit him. This is after the contract amount had been paid. What a shame! It is unfortunate that some of these people have been sighted in the Ogah camp.
Sen. T.A. Orji, no doubt, has paid his dues in Abia politics whether critics like it or not. If OUK is staging a comeback in the arena of politics in Abia state, let him start with the area boys he made commissioners, special Advisers and what have you in his government not hypocritical traditional rulers and chiefs. We know when a parallel state executive meeting was going on in Igbere in defiance of the imcumbent governor T.A. Orji’s state executive meeting by some of the commissioners in the early days of his (Ochendo’s) inauguration. Educated men were side-tracked in OUK’s administration in preference for touts and street urchins. Now he has started building back his structure with some blind and confused party chieftains in Umuahia and the traditional institution especially that of Ibeku Ancient Kingdom. We are not blind about his romance with APC while carrying PPA membership card. And let him stop telling us that he made his successor governor, it is one thing to nominate and another thing for people to vote during elections in Abia.
It is regrettable to note here that the traditional ruler of Ibeku Ancient Kingdom, Eze Onuoha, Ogurube Ibeku could allow himself to be dragged into partisan politics in OUK’s game plan. The Eze seems to have forgotten his oath of office and allegiance to his people. I read his utterances in the Daily Sun Newspaper of Thursday, October 6, 2016 (pg. 34) and felt bad how a traditional ruler could proudly sell off his respected son and pride of his kinsmen to a man we have celebrated his exit in Abia state government. He could summon courage to outrageously tell the world that he (Ogurube) “…doubts if he (referring to Chief T.A. Orji) is a true Ibeku son”. This is like releasing a bullet that will bounce back to the shooter. His utterances will surely boomerang like a time bomb. It is terrible for Onye Eze to become an errand boy of people he is supposed to be their grandfather.
The way people are going about fighting our senator is bad and amounts to distractions. There are so many responsibilities on his shoulders as a senator. Let detractors and critics leave him alone.
May God help Ndi Abia.
*Udo Urukpa writes from Abuja.