Chinedum Orji, the outgoing Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, has declared that he had learnt lessons from outcome of the just-concluded 2023 elections held in Abia, and all other states of the Nigeria federation.
He accused the immediate past Governor of the state, Okezie Ikpeazu, of sponsoring his close opponent in a particular political party to thwart his bid to be elected as member of the house of representatives for the Ikwuano/umuahia federal constituency seat during the recently-held national assembly elections.
The Speaker who was baring his minds against n the heels of continued outbursts by critical Abia political stakeholders trailing his recent appearance, and that of father, and an ex-Abia Governor, Senator Theodore Orji, during the inauguration of a new governor of the state, Alex Otti, held at Umuahia Township Stadium on 29th May, 2023.
The number one Abia lawmaker who represents Umuahia central constituency of the state, insisted that days had gone when he fought for good political interests of close allies and friends, regretting after achieving the gestures, he was being rewarded with cheap blackmails and propaganda skewed on jealousy and envy, w targetted to dent his image and hard-earned integrity.
He also clarified that his recent appearance of him, and the father and the current representative of Abia central Senatorial district at the national assembly, Senator Theodore Orji,
While further reminding Abia political class on the important need to eschew from envy which he noted, does not augur well in the collective efforts of well-meaning Abians to deepen the present democratic process in Abia state, Orji reiterated that he attended the event as reciprocation of courtesy.
Orji partly stated: “When you have a governor elect that wrote to you or extended invitation to you from another party, to please come and witness his inauguration; when you have a governor elect reaching out to one of his predecessors who happened to be my own father, to please come and be a guest on his inuaguration; if you are in my shoes, what will you do? Am throwing the question to you, the journalists. You will honour the invitation.
“Is it about politics or Abia state? Let me tell something my dear brother. The days of Chinedum Orji (Ikuku) fighting other people’s war are over. If you want to fight anybody, come out and do the fights to himself. Don’t hide under anybody.
“I fought against the current governor twice. Between 2015 and 2019. You all knows about it. At the end of the day, who told you that those people i was fighting for. The person that i fought for, did not reach out to the people i fought against. Who told you?
“All these people who were our enemies, didn’t the former governor went behind and reconcile with them? Didn’t he went and reconcile with them. Why must my own be a topic? Did he not visit President Tinubu the other day? Have you people killed him?
“It is a season of do me, i do you. I went there out of courtesy. And immediately he was inaugurated as governor, i left. And since that time, he has been naming those people who worked with him. Did you see my name? Did you see my relation name? Did you see name of anybody closed to me there?
“When you are hobnobbing with my enemies in the night. When you sponsoring my opponent in the night, and i decided to be a statesman. And you had an issue with that. But you were sponsoring my opponents and you want me to continue fighting your enemies for you. So that when i fight, you win. And you go by 2am, you invite him to your place and reconcile with him. He will then tell him how bad and cankerous the boy is. He is always fighting. I didn’t send him. I didn’t do this. All those “gamji”(scam) don pass. All those gamji period don pass.
“If you want to fight, you fight. You come out and do the fighting by yourself. So, if you fight me directly, i will fight you also directly. Am a man and I’m not afraid of them. But for me, while i will doing the fightings for you and you keep quiet. So, attending Otti’s inuaguration is about Abia State.”
Recall that former Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji, and the son and the State House Assembly Speaker, Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, was said to have single-handedly installed Okezie Ikpeazu as governor of the state after a keenly contested gubernatorial elections held in the state between 2015 to 2019 respectively.
Ikpeazu defeated the incumbent State Governor, Dr Alex Otti twice at the conclusion of the state election by the independent National Electoral Commission
However, the immediate past Abia helmsman, Ikpeazu had lost the bid to install his anionted successor and the State Gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the just-concluded 2023 elections held in the state by the national electoral commission.