By Prince Emeka Obasi,<\/p>\n
Your Excellency,<\/p>\n
\u00a0I read with a great deal of embarrassment the article \u00a0that was ghosted in the column you allegedly write in \u00a0The Sun Newspaper of Sunday 16th August 2014. \u00a0It was incredible that you would allow yourself to be \u00a0talked into exposing yourself to that embarrassment, \u00a0for any reason. I wonder what point you were trying \u00a0to make and to whom?<\/p>\n
The article and the facts it purported to convey were \u00a0written as if you functioned as an island while serving \u00a0as the Executive Governor of Abia State. But you did \u00a0not. You worked with people, lots of people and \u00a0luckily most of those people are still alive. They are \u00a0living witnesses to what transpired in Abia State \u00a0under your rule, including your relationship with \u00a0Governor T.A Orji. Obviously of course, I am one of \u00a0such people, having served as your Special Adviser \u00a0on Research and Strategy and subsequently as the \u00a0Commissioner for Information. I have elected to \u00a0respond to the litany of falsehood contained in your \u00a0letter firstly as a witness to history, and secondly, \u00a0because I am involved. As you well know, the man \u00a0you take so much pleasure to lampoon at every turn \u00a0is my kinsman, My Dede! It is totallFeature2y \u00a0unacceptable for you to leverage on your position as \u00a0a Newspaper Publisher to mount incessant attacks on \u00a0T.A.Orji. It is an abuse of position. As a reporter, I \u00a0also consider it a sacred duty; consistent with my \u00a0professional ethos to act as a watchdog against \u00a0purveyors of falsehood. .<\/p>\n
\u00a0The simple truth sir is that you lied in your write up. \u00a0Obviously, the write up was meant for the outside \u00a0world; the few ignorant people who don’t really know \u00a0you. It is certainly not for the millions of Abia \u00a0indigenes who had the misfortune of having you as \u00a0Governor for eight years. It is also not for any one of \u00a0us, your past commissioners and sundry other aides \u00a0who worked closely with you and saw through you. \u00a0You claim to be a master strategist and an avid \u00a0propagandist. So you believe that if you tell a lie long \u00a0enough, it will become the truth. Sorry your \u00a0Excellency, a lie is a lie, is a lie! Even you, with all \u00a0your gamji prowess cannot change a lie to be the \u00a0truth: you didn’t make T.A.Orji . At the time you met \u00a0him, he was the Administrative Secretary of INEC. As \u00a0is your style, your lobbied him excessively. You know \u00a0yourself; whenever you want anything or anybody, \u00a0you put on your charming front. You struck a \u00a0partnership with T.A Orji which facilitated your \u00a0emergence as Governor.<\/p>\n
Anyone who knows Orji Uzor Kalu knows that he \u00a0does nothing for free. T.A became Chief of Staff as a \u00a0reward for his assistance in your emergence as \u00a0Governor. Unlike you, I can’t claim he made you \u00a0Governor. All power comes from God. But he played
\nhis role, a critical role which you know fully well, a \u00a0role which made him your partner. As Chief of Staff, \u00a0he served you loyally, efficiently and commitedly. He \u00a0did his best, as some of us also did to manage your \u00a0exuberant excesses. With due respect sir, you stand \u00a0truth on its head when you alleged that, he was in \u00a0charge of almost everything in Government house-\u00a0from the management of security vote to routine\u00a0administration. I, working with one of your closest\u00a0aides then,\u00a0Victor Oye. Oga! Haba!!! Which closest \u00a0aide? Victor Oye? And so what happened to Chuka \u00a0Odom? We all know what Oye did (and still does for \u00a0you!) Ha, hmmm, don’t let us expose and disgrace \u00a0ourselves o! I find it interesting that you didn’t bring \u00a0Chuka Odom into the discussion. Why, if I may ask? \u00a0And your all-powerful mother, Oduko? So if T.A was \u00a0in charge of everything, what happened to the-great-<\/p>\n
SHE-who-must-be-obeyed? Mother Excellency, \u00a0defacto 1st Lady and Associate Governor of Abia \u00a0state?<\/p>\n
Oga, why do you behave as if everyone is suffering \u00a0from amnesia? Or do you still believe the myth that \u00a0you are a guy man\u009d while the rest of Abia are Jew \u00a0guys?<\/p>\n
You ran Abia State as a fiefdom. The only real powers \u00a0were you, your mother and that your brother, who \u00a0you elected to the Federal House of Reps. The \u00a0records will stand whether he even opened his mouth \u00a0or raised a finger, for the entire duration of his \u00a0membership of the House. But of course, you claimed \u00a0to be the Abia equivalent of the Kennedys, the three of \u00a0you \u00a0Orji, Nnanna and Mascot. So you also made \u00a0Mascot Chief of Staff to T.A and designated him, heir- \u00a0apparent.<\/p>\n
You allege that you don’t know what you did t T.A? Are you sure? Search your conscience.<\/p>\n
\u00a0You wanted T.A. to be Governor only in name while \u00a0you and your mother continued to rule. So you \u00a0appointed your brother as the Chief of Staff, gave T.A. \u00a0only one commissionership slot which he filled with \u00a0Okey Amaechi (SAN) as Attorney General and shared \u00a0the entire 17 local Government Chairman with your \u00a0mummy.<\/p>\n
T.A aides pleaded with you to allow him produce \u00a0the chairman of his LGA, but you declined. You \u00a0appointed ASP Okoro, your former orderly as his ADC, \u00a0and appointed one of your former drivers as his Chief \u00a0Driver. You also tried to appoint the Government \u00a0House cooks. When his wife, Chief Mrs Odochi Orji \u00a0refused, and insisted that she had always cooked for \u00a0her husband, you reluctantly conceded to her. You \u00a0nominated companies fronting for you to be the main \u00a0contractors of the Government and with your cousin \u00a0and kinsman as Commissioner for Finance, their \u00a0payments were always prompt. Your Excellency sir, \u00a0the truth is as you boasted to a group of us in your \u00a0house at Adeleke Adedoyin Street, Victoria Island, \u00a0Lagos, (yes the same one which I hear you have \u00a0turned into a bed and breakfast or short time\u00e2\u20ac\u009d hotel \u00a0now). I am still the real Governor of Abia State!<\/p>\n
You were sir. And for a season, T.A. was willing to oblige you. But Abia indigenes were not. They had suffered grievously under your yoke for 8 years and refused to\u00a0 continue in bondage.\u00a0 Many of them were outraged by your boast that my\u00a0 family will rule Abia for 25 years!\u009d If you can recall,\u00a0 Chuka Odom and i advised you against making that\u00a0 boast. But as usual, you didn’t listen. Even some of\u00a0 your friends, like Dr. Steve Ihedigbo, privately chaffed\u00a0 over that claim. It is true that Abia indigenes can be\u00a0 tolerant, but even you know that there is a limit to\u00a0 human tolerance. With due respect sir, you crossed\u00a0 the line. You treated T.A. with unacceptable\u00a0 disrespect and in fact levity. Chuka Odom, told me\u00a0 that he once asked you in Abuja: Sir, do you realize\u00a0 that this man is a sitting Governor?\u009d Do you recall\u00a0 your answer? It was quite telling:<\/p>\n
In Abia, there are\u00a0 only two Powers, REALITY ORGANIZATION and the\u00a0 ORJI UZOR KALU FAMILY!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d If you permit sir, i would\u00a0 call that hubris. Now, the facts have not borne you\u00a0 out. There is clearly another power in Abia \u201c Peoples\u00a0 Power. No one can be bigger than his people. And as\u00a0 the Igbo say, whereas one man can cook for the\u00a0 community, the community can’t cook for one man.\u009d\u00a0 You are no doubt a very successful man, a true\u00a0 master strategist, if you may. You are rich, influential\u00a0 and powerful. But still, you are not bigger than Abia\u00a0 State. You challenged Governor Orji to use any\u00a0 medium to tell you what you did wrong to him. Well,\u00a0 let me also give you a different kind of challenge.\u00a0 Please sir, mention two, okay, let be fair, mention\u00a0 just one prominent Abia indigene who holds you in\u00a0 any esteem!<\/p>\n
Is it Ebitu Ukiwe, Ike Nwachukwu,\u00a0 Adolphus Wabara, Ndubusi Kanu, Anya O. Anya, Joe\u00a0 Irukwu, Ojo Maduekwe, Enyinnaya Abanibe. Vin\u00a0 Ogbulafor, Ngozi-Okonjo Iweala, Emeka Wogu,\u00a0 Nkechi Nwaogu, Mark Wabara, Onyema Ugochukwu,\u00a0 Hon Nnenna Ukeje, Ndubusi Kanu, Mazi Sam\u00a0 Ohuabunwa and his Brother Mao, Senator Uche\u00a0 Chukwumerije, Dr J. C Ogbonnaya; the list is endless.\u00a0 You can see sir, T.A. is not really your problem. Your\u00a0 real problem is Abia State and her people. You have\u00a0 desecrated the land and so it is angry with you. As\u00a0 your former strategist, my advice is that you should\u00a0 propitiate the land and seek forgiveness. That is the\u00a0 culture of our people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Prince Emeka Obasi, Your Excellency, \u00a0I read with a great deal of embarrassment the article \u00a0that was ghosted in the column you allegedly write in \u00a0The Sun Newspaper of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n