Exclusive! Abia politics of bitterness: why Orji fights Kalu dirty (part 2)

The Abia House of Assembly, being actively involved with PPA constituting the majority then, paid Dr. Orji Kalu official visit as the national leader of the party at his Igbere country home.

Led by the then Speaker, Agwu. U. Agwu they tabled before Kalu several impeachable offences against T.A Orji, with his inability to start and complete any meaningful project in Abia State top of their agenda. They also used that forum to express their disappointment over the embarrassment caused by the list of non existing projects that was circulated in the stadium on that year’s democracy day celebration.

Report has it that they were so angry to the extent that they wanted to go back to the House and commence impeachment process. But Kalu pleaded with them to rescind their decision because any attempt to impeach Orji will not only ridicule PPA but will also make the world believe that he was the one who sponsored it.

Our impeccable source told us that, rather than support the Abia lawmakers with their impeachment plans, Kalu pleaded with them and promised to consult with Orji to see how their grievances will be addressed.

“The House members left Kalu’s house and proceeded to the party house in Aba Road, Umuahia, to lay their complaints to the then PPA chairman in the state, Eze Ogo Emeka Onuoha, who by then had been called by T.A Orji to help him calm down the lawmakers.

“After they left Emeka, they did not proceed to T.A Orji to make their intentions known to him having been calm by both Kalu and Emeka.

“The onlookers; people like myself and other I wouldn’t want to mention their names for some political reasons were then surprised when after meeting with T.A Orji few days later, the House of Assembly members proceeded straight to the House chamber where they held emergency seating and surprisingly passed a vote of confidence to T.A Orji.

“The question we should be asking ourselves was what went wrong and why the sudden U-Turn by the House members who were so embittered few days back? It was later discovered that T.A Orji having seen the extent of the threat decided to settle them financially,” our source said.

Our Investigations and findings

The City Reporters can authoritatively report that the T.A Orji led Abia State government had $250million bond it collected from the stock market in 2010 then still intact in the bank.

The whereabouts of that $250million bond could not be accounted for because it was never used for the development of Abia or invested in solution oriented and viable projects that would have ameliorated the sufferings of the impoverished Abia youths, like the revamping of Golden Guinea breweries, Ceramics, Abia Hotels, Aba oil mills ETC.

The reason for the Lawmakers capitulation was later understood, it might not be unconnected to the gift of N30million each with Toyota Prado Jeeps strictly for those who have decided to acquiesced in the proposed propaganda; which was about to be used against Kalu in order to gain public sympathy as orchestrated by Charles Ogbonna, Ike Onyenweaku and co.

Part of that money was also alleged to have been used to host the late Odimegwu Ojukwu and APGA Executive members who paid T.A Orji courtesy visit in his short sojourn to APGA, while the rest was given to his son, Chinedu and his campaign team saddled with his father’s reelection bid.

Sadly enough Abia youths, especially from Umuahia north and south drank their futures away. The City Reporters reliably gathered that Ochendo campaign team was visiting every beer joint in the State both big and small with the slang “Ikuku Ochendo Okule gi?” meaning when translated in English “Have you been blown lately by Ochendo hurricane?” They will pay for the entire beer in stock and youths then drank themselves to stupor.

Chinedu Orji also allegedly sponsored some weddings of Ibeku boys, all in the effort to see his fathers reelection bid successful as well as, to impose his will on the hapless and ignorant youths. Hence the reason for the influence and domination he has over them till today.

However, from that moment, the Abia lawmakers who were not left out also became part of the conspiracy against Kalu and in extension Abia State, except about four of them who refused to be part of the plot against the man who they have benefited immensely from, especially politically.

They never partook in the N30million windfall or agreed to be part of the propaganda against Kalu. The reason why they were all rigged out during the 2011 election; they never returned to the House of Assembly not because of incompetency but because of their integrity which they vehemently refused to compromised.

That is the simple reason the Abia State House of Assembly members have abandoned their legislative duties for T.A orji’s praise singing, to the extent that they pay frequent visit to Broadcasting Corporation of Abia, BCA, to eulogize a man who has obviously exacerbated the living condition of Abia people.

Of course Agwu U Agwu was later dealt with immediately after the 2011 election. He was dumped from retaining his position as the Speaker of the House even when he pleaded with them to allow him serve for six months.

Now having succeeded in eliminating Kalu’s image, the ground was set for the embezzlement of Abia State funds with impunity which has been the situation till date.

The 2006 National population census result placed the population of Abia State to 2.8million people, with 80 per cent (mostly bus drivers, Keke NAPEP riders and menial jobbers) of this number self employed; one can imagine what T.A Orji’s Abia State led government has been doing with the Federal Allocation and internally Generated Revenue accrued to the State monthly.

For example Abia State monthly Federal Allocation for 2012 was approximately N16.35bn, when calculated annually will give you N196.2bn; with N4.5bn monthly Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, which amounts to N54bn annually. This sum when calculated amounts to N250.2bn for the whole fiscal year.

1n 2013 also, the Abia state government monthly Federal Allocation rose to N17.3bn and the IGR increased to N5.5bn monthly. When summed up, Abia State got a whopping sum of N207.6bn annually from Federal allocation and N66bn from IGR, which means that Abia government made approximately N273.6bn as against the N250.2bn it made in 2012.

Note that these amounts were exclusive of 13% Derivation for oil producing states, Excess crude account, Domestic crude account, Local Government allocation, SURE-P and NNPC refunds and foreign exchange differentials.

The question is what is Abia state government doing with this whopping sum it collects? Without local government chairmen, no doubt, the executive governor has been receiving the local government allocation from the Federal government on behalf of the local government, yet the state could not pay civil servants promptly and as and when due. What could have been the reason?

The City Reporters can authoritatively report that Abia State external debt stood at $34.5million with no significant and viable development on going in the State, except those practical jokes called “legacy projects”. It is absolutely untenable that a state like Abia which has such colossal amount that accrued from revenues with no mind blowing projects on going will still have external debt of $34.5million waiting for the incoming administration.

So what could have been the reason for this abysmal infrastructural decay which has engulfed the God’s Own State? Where could these funds be? Join us next week Monday, June, 16, 2014 as we continue to expose the ills of Abia State government.