Abia guber tussle shifts from tax default to equity charter

The tussle for who should be the authentic governor of Abia state has seemingly shifted from governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s alleged tax irregularity being challenged in court by his fellow PDP rivals in the 2015 party primary to compliance to Abia Charter of Equity provision.

The Abia Charter of Equity, simply put, entails the zoning of the governorship slot among the three senatorial districts of the state in a manner that no one senatorial district would be shortchanged.

The objective is to avoid a situation where a likely change in the power equation of the state could become apprehensive and tension-soaked capable of igniting chaos that might breach the peace of the state.

This informed the decision of the stakeholders of Abia North Senatorial zone to visit the Government House in Umuahia, where they pledged their commitment to the Abia Charter of Equity before Governor Ikpeazu even though his challenger Dr. Uche Ogah is from their Abia North zone.

The stakeholders said that they would continue to stand on the provision of Abia Charter of Equity which specified that the state governorship position should rotate among the three senatorial zones of the state namely North, Central and South.

According to them, the state governorship position having been held by Abia North and Central zones by Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and Senator Theodore Orji respectively, it ought to shift to Abia South zone, with effect from 2015, where governor Ikpeazu hails from.

They consequently avowed that any move to remove Ikpeazu from office would be resisted saying he holds the position for Abia South on which basis he was elected stressing: “Geo-political zoning should rule in Abia. Using the court to remove Ikpeazu amounts to civilian coup”.

However, while reacting to this position of Abia North Stakeholders, a lawyer who spoke on the condition of anonymity faulted them (Abia North) positing that the said Charter of Equity has no force of law.

But the lawyer noted that going by the Charter would be ideal for peaceful political coexistence and give sense of belonging to the three zones of the state in its governorship race, and sued for dialogue rather than invoking the Charter as a Law.

Besides, during the electioneering campaigns ahead of the election, what was used against Ikpeazu’s main rival, Chief Alex Otti of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was that he was not from Ngwa or Abia South as he claimed.

Otti’s spirited campaign to correct the impression about his community of origin proved abortive. Also his efforts to upturn Ikpeazu’s victory at the court after losing the election to him failed, following Supreme Court affirmation of Ikpeazu’s victory.

It can easily be concluded that the sentiment of the zoning or power sharing among the three zones in the state namely Abia North, Abia Central, and Abia South played major role in determining the outcome of the last governorship election in the state in which Ikpeazu emerged victorious.

Addressing them during the solidarity visit along with others, Ikpeazu who has been receiving solidarity visitors since the Abuja Federal High Court presided over by Justice Okon Abang ordered Ikpeazu’s removal from office late last month, said it was good to know that some persons were supporting him.

He expressed optimism that the higher courts would deliver justice in his favour and reverse the Abuja court order on his removal. He vowed to keep the mandate already given him by the electorate, which the highest court in the land (the Supreme Court) had affirmed as the duly elected State Governor based on the 2015 elections in the state.

His words: “I shall not surrender my mandate. The Abia Charter is the pillar of equity and Justice, which if implemented, would propel Abia for good. Darkness will not win light and I will not build a house for another to occupy. I had pleaded with my Abia North PDP rivals to, for equity sake, wait for 2019 when the governorship position will return to them going by the Charter provision.