Gov Theodore Orji


Prominent political leaders from Ukwa/Ngwa area of Abia State have commended Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State for declaring that the governorship seat of the state, will move to Abia South Senatorial District, and not just Ukwa/Ngwa, in 2015.

Orji, who at the beginning of his second term, promised to handover to an Ngwa man, declared last week, during the swearing-in of the newly appointed Transition Committee chairmen for the seventeen local government areas of the state in Umuahia, that power will move to Abia South in 2015.

His words: “I am a product of rotation. If there was no rotation I may not be governor today. I must continue with rotation because power moved from Abia-North to Abia-Central, and must go to South.

“It is incumbent on me because failure to do that will be injustice to myself and my party. It is fair to both God and man.”

Reacting to the development, a political leader of Ukwa/Ngwa, Chief Emmanuel Adaelu said: "I want to express my sincere thanks to our dear Governor, Chief TA Orji, because he is a man of his words.

"During his second missionary journey as governor, we gave him our total support to ensure his re-election in 2011, and he promised our people that he will handover to an Ngwa man. Since then, we have been waiting for him to make this pronouncement, now he has made it emphatically clear to Abians that power will move to Abia South, and not just Ukwa/Ngwa in 2015.

"I am very happy and my people, both the Ngwa people in Abia Central and the Ukwa/Ngwa people in Abia South, are happy.
"Governor Orji is a man of equity, and we respect him. I know that so many people have been putting pressure on him, trying to dissuade him not to do this, but he has done it right."


Adaelu added: "I am one of the early supporters of PDP and our party supports the policy of zoning. The former governor came from Abia North, the present Governor, Chief TA Orji is from Abia Central, therefore, it is imperative and justifiable in compliance with the PDP policy that power moves to Abia South in 2015.

"His declaration of support for Abia South is a major step in actualising our quest for an Abia governor from the Ngwa extraction."

Adaelu, who is from the Ngwa areas in Abia central stressed that: "I was one of the people that supported zoning among the three senatorial districts in Abia State, and I insist on that irrespective of the fact that I am from Abia Central. Again I will not deny that fact that the movement began from Abia north, moved to my senatorial district, Abia Central, with our dear governor who is on the saddle now, therefore equity and good policy demands that we all support the movement to Abia South in 2015, and that is what we will do."

On the issue of aspirants from outside Abia South, Adaelu said that there is nothing wrong for anybody to aspire, but stressed that: "At the right time, the leaders of the people will take a stand and whatever stand we take, will decide what will happen.

"Anybody aspiring to be governor in 2015 from Abia central or Abia north should know that it is the turn of the Abia South to produce the governor for us in 2015. Abia central cannot produce two governors in succession that is why it should go to Abia South that is what equity demands.

"We are pulling the bulks of people from Aba zone to support whoever emerges. I am speaking the minds of my people." Adaelu said.

Barrister Chibuike Nwokeukwu, another frontline Ngwa political leader from Abia Central, also commended Governor Orji, and said that political leaders and traditional rulers in Ukwa/Ngwa are already perfecting plans to summon all Ngwa governorship aspirants to a meeting where the aspirants will be advised on the need for a consensus.

His words: "The agitation for power shift to Abia South in 2015 is real, the declaration by Governor TA Orji makes it more real. Being a man I know whatever he says, within his competence, Governor TA Orji will do it, I commend him for what he has done. We are happy."

He continued: "The governor's declaration does not mean that he has chosen a candidate, no, it is the party that will choose the candidate.

"I also know the old saying that a tree does not make a forest, but a tree can give an indication where a forest should be."

He said that those who have indicated interest in the governorship race are qualified, however he cautions the aspirants to be mindful of the fact that all of them will not be governor at once.

"Every one of them who has indicated interest to be governor is qualified to be, but the truth about it is that only one person will be governor at a time, so all we have to do as leaders of the community, is to invite these our sons and daughters that have indicated interest for governorship and say to them; ladies and gentlemen, this is time for us to be reasonable about this thing."

In a related development, the Abia South PDP has passed a vote of confidence on the Governor Orji, and promised an unflinching support to his administration. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/ukwa-ngwa-leaders-abia-south-pdp-commend-orji/183364/