Abia state has remained one of the states in Nigeria that has remained under the hands of the very few since the inception of the current dispensation of democracy, following the election of Dr Orji Uzor Kalu as the executive governor in May 1999 followed by that of his Chief staff Dr T A Orji in 2007 even while in detention over allegations bordering on financial mismanagement of the state and currently Dr Okezie Ikpeazu whose emergence was on the anointing of his predecessor.
Abia has grappled to survive with no meaningful development in all spheres, as its civil servants and pensioners anguish in abject poverty owing to several months of unpaid salaries and pensions. It is quite shocking and unbelievable that the state acronyms as the God’s own state has remained docile as regards its representation at all levels of governance as its elected have not been made to present statement of stewardship while in office in this era of politics.
The developments at its representation at the National Assembly in the recent months has become worrisome on what the state is made up of. First, the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial district senator Orji Uzor Kalu who was sentenced to twelve years Correctional Centre (Prison) after many years of legal battle on his looting of the state during his tenure as the executive governor and currently his successor who has equally demonstrated his discipleship by towing the path of his master is facing investigation by EFCC on allegations of embezzlement running into several billions of Naira with two of his sons Enyinnaya Chinedu Orji, Speaker Abia State House of Assembly and his younger brother Ogonna Orji.
It is more worrisome that months after the conviction of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North senatorial district, no effort nor agitation has been made nor seen by the senatorial district he represents to recall him even at the failure of the electoral umpire (INEC) declaring his seat vacant and calling for a rerun election to re-elect another Abian as senator for the senatorial district. Though some of his lieutenants defending the silence over his recall based on his appeal of the judgement which might last for another decades having followed his case.
That said and done, with the unfolding evidences on the atrocities of his successor who also represents Abia Central Senatorial District Dr. T. A. Orji while in office as the state’s executive governor and the involvement of his son, the current speaker of the state, one would have expected Abians to rise in one voice to shout for freedom by recalling these men from their positions, but alas it seems all Abians have been muted and blind folded or does it mean there is no one else to represent the state except these set of looters?
Abia is blessed with a good number of intellectuals in all space of professions, why has none not been able to muster the courage to speak? Abia boasts of a good number of journalists, why there has not been any using his/her space to sanitise Abians? Posterity will not fail to judge us if we do not rise to this call of liberation, that the owner of the state Himself Chukwu Okike Abia Ma Uwa (God) has started as we all will be judged for failing to get the state back on track very soon.Chukwu ekwela!.
The state is currently lacking representation at the red chamber at this crucial stage of Nigeria’s democracy where numbers mean so much, with just Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe representing Abia South Senatorial District whom has been criticised for being out spoken over the spat of insecurity in Nigeria and demanding for the resignation of the President Buhari, if speculators are right based on the vindictive nature of the current administration very soon he will be invited to make clarifications on certain issues which we frantically shut Abians out of the Red Chambers, hence the more urgent reason Abians must push INEC in unison. INEC needs to do the needful as enshrined in the constitution.
On the other hand one would have expected from those agitating for Biafra to see this as an ample opportunity to exhibit whatever they believe or regard as good governance by mobilising against these men from the grassroots for their recall thereby instituting what could be seen as a change if truly we desire and seek a better space away from the zoo in their own words. For Abians it is said that “onye ugbo gburu nti gburu ya”. (one killed by train has his deafness to blame).
