by Oladapo Oreoluwa
A former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor
Kalu, has expressed regret over the role he played in the emergence of his
former chief of staff, Theodore Orji, as his successor
During an interview with *Channels
Television*, Kalu, said he fell out with Orji, who is the current governor of Abia,
because he cautioned him (Orji) privately about excesses of his government
barely 18 months into his first term.
Kalu said infrastructural developments in
the state were grounded in spite of the fact the governor was running the
state with multiple loans from banks.
He said, “The time I made that decision (to
make Orji governor) it was a right decision. Eighteen months after he
became governor, I called him privately and told him ‘look, you can no
longer do this job.’ If the governor is an honest, man he will tell you
this is true.
“The problem started when they (Abia
government) were quarrelling with Oyema Ugochukwu (former Niger Delta
Development Commission boss) and co. They brought a paper to me that he borrowed
over N11bn. I called his commissioner for finance and he confirmed
to me that they borrowed from multiple banks.
“I asked him what they were doing with the
money but he didn’t give me any explanation. I reminded him that as
commissioner for finance he worked with me for eight years and the only money I
borrowed was N2bn and I paid back before I left. I didn’t borrow money to run
Abia; the $680m that our state owed during the old regime; joint regime of
Imo and Abia, was deducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo.”
The former governor denied attempting to
play ‘godfather’ to the incumbent governor saying his only grouse was that
Orji was not doing enough for the people.
On the controversy over his membership of
the PDP, Kalu insisted he was a member of the party, noting that nobody had
the right to bar him from leaving or joining the party.
He said his return to the PDP had nothing
to do with contesting for elective position and expressed his support
for a second term for President Goodluck Jonathan.
Kalu said, “I am back in my party, must I
run for any position? My mission is to be in the party and I’m in the party.
I believe in rotational presidency. The Igbo cannot be seeking the
presidency now that President Goodluck Jonathan is running. It is not our
turn. Jonathan is the President, every President has gone for
eight years. It would have been our turn if he didn’t run.
“Our party, the PDP has used rotational
presidency to stabilise the country and it cannot be now that it is the turn of
the Igbo that you say there should be rotational presidency. After
Jonathan we will discuss, the people of the North and the people of the South
within the same party to determine
the way forward.”
He also threw his weight behind the call
for the next governor of Abia State to come from the southern part of the
state
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