FRESH dimension is unfolding on the recent attack by gunmen on the convoy of the Abia State governor, Chief T.A. Orji.

State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ndidi Okereke in a release debunked claim by the governor who said the attack was an assassination attempt by his political opponents with whom he has a case at the Appeal Court.

Chief Okereke said that though the allegation was made against the PDP, "Abians are too intelligent to fall for this cock and bull assassination which is reminiscent of the Orji Uzor Kalu days of crying wolf to divert attention."

The party raised questions on "why anybody would want to kill the governor when it was clear he was not in the vehicles?"

Okereke claimed that there were no casualties during the gun battle between security agents and suspected bandits, adding that some of the visible bullet holes may have been inflicted by the governor's security men.

Continuing, PDP queried why the entourage were carrying N2 billion inside the bullet-proof SUVs which were allegedly snatched by the gunmen.

Additional question for the governor by the PDP was why he chose to use Enugu Airport instead of Imo Airport which he regularly uses?

The party alleged that the shooting spree was designed to climate the deputy governor, Mr. Chris Okomas for Mr. Masco of Kalu, the current Chief of Staff to the governor and former governor Orji Kalu's brother into the position.

[b]Rely8ing on this scenario, the state PDP claim, that the deputy governor appeared to have been tipped off and so stayed away from the convoy, arguing that credible sources believe that people who knew about the sudden change in plan took advantage to make away with the two bullet-proof SUVs containing the N2 billion being moved to Port Harcourt. [/b]Sources say the vehicles were swept and subsequently abandoned about three kilometers from the scene of the exchange of gunfire.

Several accounts indeed support the allegation of a stage-managed shootout.

An eyewitness in the convoy interviewed on NTA Aba just after the incident confirmed that the outriders leading the convoy on learning there was a robbery operation in front, returned to seek clearance from their superiors behind but were instructed to proceed with the journey. This is not the first time the governor's convoy was encountering armed gunmen operating on the same Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway. The last time, he ordered his convoy to stop and wait until the gunmen had vacated the highway before proceeding. Why this time was the convoy instructed to proceed despite the warning?

Preliminary police reports indicate the attack was a robbery operation but the Governor, like a loose cannon, is shouting assassination without any shred of evidence beyond his own hysteria.


"Abians must be feeling a sense of déjà vu with this latest twist in the long running Orji Uzor Kalu scripted tragic-comedy of governance in the state. Who can forget the last time assassination hoops-la floated in Abia Government House and the tragic anti-climax to it. Then Orji Kalu had accused the former Federal Works Minister, Chief Tony Anenih of plotting to assassinate him and claimed his former deputy, Dr. Chima Nwafor was witness to when the Edo Chief made the allegation. Dr. Nwafor flatly denied knowledge of any assassination plot only for him to lose his own life in yet-to-be ascertained circumstances.

so the gun men made away with 2billion naira,