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‘Nigerians Should Support  Jonathan For Second Term Because He Has Performed Well’

By SAMSON EZEA
06 February 2015   |   11:00 pm
Recently, the Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagged off its campaign, the state governor Chief Theodore Orji spoke to some journalists on the chances of his party in the elections, President Jonathan’s second term bid, and other topical issues affecting the polity. SAMSON EZEA was there and reports.  HOW do you feel about the…

Orji-pix-2-7-2-15

Recently, the Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagged off its campaign, the state governor Chief Theodore Orji spoke to some journalists on the chances of his party in the elections, President Jonathan’s second term bid, and other topical issues affecting the polity. SAMSON EZEA was there and reports. 

HOW do you feel about the kick-off of your senatorial election campaign ahead of the polls?

I feel very happy and I have a lot of confidence in myself. I am happy that the situation has not changed. The situation is that my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still in charge; it is deep-rooted in the State. It has not changed and it will not change because the people have confidence in our government and the ability of the PDP to deliver and keep to promises.

 The people are also happy about what the PDP government has done in Abia State in terms of uniting the state, refocusing it and by ensuring that the people of Abia can speak with one voice, move collectively and pursue a common goal.

  The people are happy because of equity-based government that supports the idea that governorship seat should rotate among the three senatorial zones. That is why when we kicked off the campaign; there was a massive turnout, especially when President Jonathan came here.

As the party candidate for Abia Central District, what is your promise to the people of the zone? 

For sure, I will represent the Abia Central Senatorial zone well, not only in terms of speaking for their voice to be heard, but in terms of attracting projects because you go to the Senate to speak and also make connections.

  I have colleagues there, our former colleagues are there and we are still friends. Some of my colleagues who are the incumbent governors are going to be in the Senate also, so it is going to be a network and I believe that they are going to have positions of authority from where they are going to assist.

 If you see your colleagues in a position that you can benefit from and which can benefit your people, it will be easier for you, so that is the connection that I want to build for the benefit of my primary constituency which is Abia Central, for the benefit of Abia State as a whole, the benefit of Ndigbo and Nigeria in general.

Having been in charge of Abia for the past seven and half years, are there lessons that you may want those coming behind you in governance to learn?

Yes there a lot of lessons. I am a typical example of learning; anybody who has followed how I became governor till now should be in position to learn a lot from me. One of the lessons is perseverance, you have to persevere in governance, but don’t be intimidated, try to be yourself.

  Do those things that you know that you will be remembered for because everything is on your table. Be focused, be determined and make sure that first and foremost, the unity that has been achieved in Abia is not truncated. It is very important because it is that unity that has provided the enabling environment in the state.

You heard Chief Ojo Maduekwe said recently in Ohafia, that this issue of moving governance from Abia North to the south was what he came up with in 2007, but it wasn’t possible because the environment was not conducive.

 At that time, there were people in Abuja who were singing different tunes, some people were in Lagos, but today there is harmony and because the environment has been provided, it is easy to achieve unity.

  The man we brought out (Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu) is a product of consensus. First, it was the elders who endorsed him before the others came in, so he has to learn about this issue of inclusive government, a government where every person will be a participant. This is very essential. These are the intangible things that are necessary for the tangible things to happen.

  When there is unity and an inclusive government, when there is no unnecessary intrusion in your government, you make sure that you are in charge and carry the people along, other things will follow, development will come. Ikpeazu will work and we believe that the economy will improve and when the economy improves he will do very well.

As the Chairman of Southeast Governors Forum, leader of PDP’s Caucus in the Southeast and presidential campaign coordinator for the zone, how have you been able to cope with all these and what are the challenges?

Even though it has not been easy, but it is a responsibility of trust. Those who gave me these responsibilities trusted me, and they know that I can do it very well. Therefore, I have to do everything possible to make sure that the trust is not betrayed. That is the force that has been pushing me, being the Chairman, Governors Forum is not easy; to pilot the affair and then carry your colleagues along is not easy, but we are moving on very well.

 Presidential campaign in the whole of South East is also not easy, especially within this period that there are some squabbles in the party, it is not easy to galvanize, reconcile and make that sure that you move together; all these responsibilities are there and we are trying as much as we can to cope up.

  We deny ourselves certain things, we have not been sleeping, so this time around, we don’t sleep at all, we don’t rest, we go from place to place, from one meeting to the other, and at times, it involved your staying outside your location, so you endure a lot of inconveniences to achieve positive results. It requires commitment and sacrifice that is what I have signed to do so there is no going back.

  When the responsibilities came I took them on and ensured that I maintained the confidence of the people and the confidence of those who gave it to me because if they don’t have the confidence in me, they will not give it to me. So I am happy about it and I assure every person that I will not disappoint.

Recently you built and donated an ultra modern church to the Catholic Diocese of the Umuahia, what inspired you to do this?

 I could have decided to build the church anywhere. I didn’t build it for people to eulogise me, no, if you read the history of the church, you will understand what I meant. When I was about to contest the governorship election in 2007, I said, it is God that I know that I won’t go to any other place, instead I would seek the face of God, He is the one who would lead me to success, and I started looking for Rev Fr. Michael Ukah, the man in charge of the church.

 One evening that I went there to see him, I saw him and some few students in a classroom using students’ chairs and I asked him, ‘father what are you doing?’ He said that was their worship place; and it touched me, after a while, the man prayed for me and I left, that was when I made the decision that if I become a governor, I will build a church for the school.

   I know that I was not building the church for Fr Ukah, I am building it for the university community, there are a lot of souls there to be won; that university has a massive population, you know that very well, so if you build such church there, you will gain many things.     

  Those students will also not forget you, they will always remember that this man who built a church for them has the heart of gold, when it comes to canvassing for voters or saying, do this for me or do that for me, they will always remember you in prayer so that you will not have any difficulty.

  Moreover, the church will enhance the aesthetics of that university environment, Secondly, the Bishop Lucious Ugorji was my classmate, I said it in the church, I thought about it that if I build a church in that place, it is also a way to assist the Bishop in the job of expanding his coast. 

  As the Catholic Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, he will count it as one of his achievements, and that the achievements is coming from his classmate so I had all these things in mind.  It will be indelible in Bishop’s mind, in my own mind and in the minds of those students, the entire community and the villagers who will also be coming there to worship God. And it will be indelible in heaven.

What is your message to the Abians and Nigerians as we go into the general elections?

 My message to Abians is the same message that I have been giving to them, let them be steadfast and exhibit the same confidence that they have in the government of PDP that is in charge of Abia. Let them not relent because the governor has not disappointed them and will not disappoint them.

  This is a promise keeping government. Let them vote for the PDP all the way. I am sure that the next governor of PDP stock, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu will take us from where I have stopped, if there is anywhere that I had made any mistake, he should correct it, he is also to make his own impact in Abia. Coming from the Abia South District Aba which every person is talking about, it now becomes his responsibility to go and fix the place from where I stopped.

   He will fix the place very well to the admiration of every person. I am confident that he will do it because the man is a grassroots person, he has been with us all long, he is not from Diaspora he has been a local government chairman, his character is known, and he is not an intruder like others. Let Abians support him and support the PDP government.

   To Nigerians this is a critical moment in the lives of all Nigerians. We want the unity of the country because it is paramount. We want the development of the country and we know the character of every person who is contesting whatever he is contesting. For us here in Abia, we have made our decision, the person that we have seen, who have called us somebody who has listened to us, who we are sure that if he wins, he will finish what he has promised us, is the person that we are following, and are calling on Nigerians to vote wisely and voting wisely means voting for Jonathan.

  We don’t hide it here that is where we belong. We believe the man (Jonathan) has done well. This is not the period of experimentation. 

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