REACTIONS have started trailing a petition reportedly sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by a group known as Save Abia Initiative For Change (SAIFC) in which it alleged that the immediate past governor of the state Chief Theodore Orji mismanaged a total sum of N474 billion while in office.
As indigenes of the state continue to react to the petition, three socio-political groups sent another set of petitions to President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him direct the EFCC to resume the trial of Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, the predecessor of the immediate past governor in office also for allegations of financial mismanagement during his 8-year tenure.
The three groups that petitioned the President are NdiAbia League, Abia Youths Consultative Forum and Abia Peoples Congress with their spokespersons, Udoka Nnanna, Davidson Kalu and Ezinwa Ukaogo, who in a press release, commended President Buhari for his determination to fight corruption and urged him to order the EFCC to expedite the trial of Kalu to its conclusion.
Alliance For Grassroots Integration Project (AFGIP) led by Prince Kalu Eke as Coordinator and Hon. Christian Anayo Orji – Secretary in its own reaction to the SAIFC allegations against Orji (who is now a serving Senator for Abia Central elected on PDP platform) described the SAIFC petition as unfortunate, spurious and the figment of the imaginations of Orji’s detractors.
AFGIP stated that Orji “is not afraid of facing the anti-graft agency because he managed the meager resources of the state prudently and judiciously during his tenure” and urged the EFCC not to be influenced by the feelings of individuals or groups but to stick to its “specific ways of handling such petitions”.
Abia Central Senatorial Zone Stakeholders, Ibeku Youths Assembly and All Igbere Consultative Forum led respectively by Chief Egesi Marcus, Elvis Ngwakwe, Chijioke Kanu, David Uguru, Dr. Eme Chimezie Agbai, and Kalu Donatus as Chairmen and Secretaries also reacted to the SAIFC petition through press releases in which they accused Orji’s predecessor of being behind the petition describing it as “unwarranted attack against Orji”.
In its reaction, the state government in a press release issued by Mr Godwin Adindu – the Chief Press Secretary to governor Okezie Ikpeazu, titled “Don’t Heat Up Abia Polity”, he appealed to SAIFC not to conduct trial by ordeal on the pages of newspapers.
Adindu posited that having submitted a petition to the EFCC, SAIFC should wait for the commission’s findings and stop heating the Abia polity through unnecessary media campaigns.
According to the Adindu, the current state government on assumption of office received a handover note from the immediate past government, which documented the assets and liabilities of government and obligations being owed third parties by government, adding that the current government is presently studying these papers and has not come up with a clear position.
He added that “the current government has not issued any official statement as to the discovery of any malfeasance or conversion of any government property, assets, money or funds by any official of the immediate past government, noting that if this is discovered, the government will take necessary steps towards ensuring that the right actions are taken which will be in the general interest of the people of Abia State.”
He consequently advised all citizens of the state not to heat up the polity or use the name of the state to settle personal scores in the guise of being a watchdog for the citizenry of Abia State and reiterated the commitment of Governor Ikpeazu towards transparency and accountability stressing that “the vision of the governor is to uplift the state by improving the standard of governance and injecting discipline in public life.”
