A former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka
has warned the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Theodore Orji to
stop taking undue credit for projects initiated by the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government in Abia.
Senator Orji who now represents Abia Central zone at the Senate had claimed
attracting the attention of the federal government to the ongoing
rehabilitation of the dilapidated Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highway.
Addressing journalists in Umuahia, Ohajuruka said, “Theodore Orji came home
to pretend he was flagging off the reconstruction of the Umuahia/Ikot
Ekpene federal road. But the truth is that the road was being reconstructed
by the APC led federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari and he
is doing it to show presence in the South East.
“Ikwuano people have suffered for a long time, these were the same people
that were neglected by Theodore Orji throughout his eight years of
governance; Ikwuano people never experienced any dividend of democracy, in
fact the area was the most marginalized place when he was governor.
“Now that the Federal Government has come to alleviate the sufferings of
the people, Theodore Orji has come to claim he was instrumental for the
rehabilitation of the road in the area.
“Why didn’t he do it when President Jonathan was in office? Now he’s
trying to hide under the goodwill that President Buhari has extended to
Abia people to say he attracted the project. Nobody can be deceived, that
road is being rehabilitated by President Buhari who I know our beloved
people from Ikwuano are going to support come 2019. So, he shouldn’t take
credit on something he does not have power over”.
On Orji’s claims that he (Ohajuruka) did nothing for his people when
he represented
Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency in the House of Representatives,
Ohajuruka said, “I don’t want to join issues with a man who once served me
when I was the acting governor of Abia State. When I was the acting
governor, you recall he was my Chief of Staff, so, it will not be proper to
join issues with him”.
“But having said that, I make bold to repeat that T.A Orji is the
definition of failure, when you want to define failure in all
ramifications, it is him and it is there for everyone to see. So, it is for
him to tell Abians what he has done, it is not for me to say, but define
failure for me, I think it is him”.
Ohajuruka dismissed claims by the former governor that he has attracted so
many projects to his Abia central zone since he became senator almost two
years ago, and challenged Orji to take his constituents including himself
(Ohajuruka) on a tour of such project sites.
“Those things are not visible; nobody is seeing anything he has attracted.
And even if he said he had attracted anything, of course he will be
double-speaking because he cannot take anybody to where those things are,
so, we are not seeing anything, he is completely absent, nobody is seeing
anything.”