ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR T.A. ORJI OVER THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT AND ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY. His Excellency Chief T.A.Orji Excellency Governor of

We make bold here to restate that this is not borne out of any desire to join issues with you, nor any one else(NO, NEVER), but it is necessitated by my quest to contribute to an on going debate, aimed at benefiting Abians.

We have watched with keen interest the upswing of debates for and against Zoning of the Governorship Slot in Abia State, come 2015. We have particularly noted the publications in the Daily Sun Newspaper of 5th December, and the Nation Newspapers of 6th December respectively, by the People of and Umunneochi LGAs (otherwise called ISUIKWUATO DISTRICT), of the State, detailing strong reasons why the Governorship slot come 2015, should be zoned to them, amongst other agitations. While one is tempted to adopt the stand of the good people of the District, I feel stronger standing on a higher ground and digressing a bit from their position. I do so by enunciating the following reasons why the Governorship slot in the State should and ought not to be zoned for any reason, but should be thrown open (AS USUAL) for the best Candidate to emerge.

B. HISTORICAL INSIGHTS Lest we forget, Abia State since creation on August 17, 1991, had always elected their Chief Executives through keenly contested elections, by all zones in the State. It has always been an all inclusive race. I shall elucidate further with the tables below:

TABLE 1. (1991 PARTY PRIMARIES IN OLD ABIA) CONTESTANTS PARTY PLACE/ZONE OF ORIGIN REMARKS Christopher NRC Ohaozara, Afikpo Zone, WON * NORTH Gershon Amuta NRC Isiala South, Ukwa LOST /Ngwa Zone SOUTH Chris Ogbonnaya NRC , Old Bende LOST Ukpabi Zone CENTRAL Lambert Nmecha NRC , Ukwa/Ngwa LOST

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

Zone, SOUTH Augustine Alaribe SDP , Ukwa/ LOST Ngwa Zone, SOUTH Empire Ndukaku SDP , Old Bende, LOST Kanu CENTRAL Sam Igwe Eke SDP Bende, Old Bende, WON (SAMEK) * CENTRAL

From the above fiercely contested primaries, Ogbonnaya Onu of NRC and Sam Igwe Eke of SDP emerged. On December 14, 1991, Abians trooped out and voted for the two candidates. Dr Onu was declared elected the following day, and sworn in on January 2nd, 1992. Dissatisfied, the late Chief Sam Igwe Eke went to the Tribunal, and in mid April 1992, the Electoral Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, nullified the declaration of Dr. Onu, whilst calling for a re-run in four (4) Local Government Areas. On Appeal, the Court of Appeal sitting in Port-Harcourt unanimously upheld Dr Onu;s appeal, and validated his return as Governor.

, it was a keenly contested election, which saw the participation of all the zones in Old Abia. It was never ZONED in any way. Dr Onu ceased to be Governor on November 17th, 1993, following the military putsch by the Late General , which truncated democratic structures, and sacked the Ernest Shonekan led Interim National Governor (ING). Secondly, following the excision of the Old Afikpo Zone, from Abia to , and in the prelude to the 1999 return to Civilian Administration, the following scenario emerged:

TABLE 2, (1999 PARTY PRIMARIES IN NEW ABIA STATE) CONTESTANTS PARTY PLACE/ZONE OF ORIGIN REMARKS

Orji Uzor Kalu * PDP Bende, (NORTH) WON Chris Ogbonnaya PDP Arochukwu, (NORTH) LOST Ukpabi Iboko Imo Iboko PDP Bende, (NORTH) LOST Dan Nwankwo PDD Obingwa (SOUTH) LOST Ike Orika PDP Umunneochi, (NORTH) LOST Sonny Iroeche PDP , (CENTRAL) LOST Vincent Eze APP , (CENTRAL) WON Ogbulafor*

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

Chuku Nwachuku APP , LOST (CENTRAL) Max. Nduaguibe APP Isiala Ngwa North, LOST (CENTRAL)

Onyeka Amadi AD , (NORTH) LOST Okoroafor Max. Nduaguibe * AD Isiala Ngwa North, EMERGED (CENTRAL)

On January 9th 1999, (PDP), Vincent Ogbulafor (APP) and Max Nduaguibe(AD) slugged it out, and Orji Uzor Kalu was declared winner by INEC . Dissatisfied, Ogbulafor of APP went to the Election Tribunal. In between, an OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT was brokered by a group led by PRINCE B.B. APUGO. Kalu was later sworn in as Governor of the State, while Ogbulafor, in the spirit and letters of the settlement, was appointed first Minister of Economic Matters by President Obasanjo, and subsequently National Secretary and National Chairman of PDP respectively. Dee, you know as much as I do that this was not achieved by ZONING, nor was it accomplished through any amorphous/exclusion intended CHARTER

OF “EQUITY”

Thirdly, in 2003, the following scenario emerged TABLE 3. (2003 PARTY PRIMARIES IN ABIA) CONTESTANTS PARTY PLACE/ZONE OF ORIGIN REMARKS Orji Uzor Kalu * PDP Bende, (NORTH) WON Austin Akobundu PDP , (CENTRAL) LOST Enyinnaya ANPP Obingwa (SOUTH) WON Abaribe* Henry Ikoh ANPP Ikwuano, (CENTRAL) LOST Dan Nwankwo ANPP Obingwa (SOUTH) LOST Onwuka Kalu* APGA Ohafia(CENTRAL) EMERGED Henry Ikoh* UNPP Ikwuano(CENTRAL) EMERGED

After the Primaries, came the main election. Again, it was contested amongst Orji Kalu (PDP), Enyi Abaribe(ANPP), Onwuka Kalu(APGA), and Henry Ikoh (UNPP). In another keenly contested election, held on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2003, Orji Uzor Kalu of PDP was declared re-elected by INEC. Dissatisfied by what he described as gross irregularities in the

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION election, my good friend, Enyi Abaribe filed a Petition at the Tribunal seeking some declarative and ameliorative reliefs. In a horse trading that involved pecuniary and ethnic interests, the then ANPP, was believed to have traded their Senatorial mandate in exchange for the Senate Presidency, which was offered to their son, who AS AT THAT TIME was widely believed to have lost the Senatorial Election. While no pun is intended here, nor do I mean to re-enact the Dan Imo /Wabara saga, but mention certainly must be made of the notorious fact that for Abia North’s Governorship won on merit to stand, Abia South (the Ukwa La Ngwas) were given the Number Three Slot in the Country. That in itself is not how best to MARGINALIZE a people. I make bold to restate that the above horse trading was achieved long after elections to Abia Governorship of 2003, was CONTESTED, WON and LOST. It was not achieved through ZONING.

The fourth case that supports competition was in 2007, when the current occupant contested and won the Abia Governorship, even from a terribly disadvantaged position. Preceding the main election, the following scenario played out:

TABLE 4. (2007 PARTY PRIMARIES IN ABIA) CONTESTANTS PARTY PLACE/ZONE OF ORIGIN REMARKS Onyema PDP Umuahia North, (CENTRAL) WON Ugochukwu * Iheanacho Okezie PDP Obingwa(SOUTH) LOST Orji Okey Nwadiuko PDP Isuikwuato(NORTH) LOST Emeka Atuma PDP Ikwuano (CENTRAL) LOST

Capt Ogbonna PDP Isuikwuato(NORTH) LOST Chinonye Macebuh PDP Isuikwuato(SOUTH) LOST Isiguzoro PDP Obingwa(SOUTH) LOST * PPA Umuahia North (CENTRAL) WON Henry Ikoh PPA Ikwuano (CENTRAL) LOST Ikechi Emenike * ANPP Umuahia North (CENTRAL) EMERGED Uzodimma APGA Umuahia North (CENTRAL) EMERGED Okpara*

After the primaries where Governor T.A.ORJI emerged from the PPA, from the PDP, Ikechi Emenike from the ANPP, and

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

Uzodimma Okpara from the APGA, the unfortunate events which culminated into your loss of freedom took place. Yet you contested and won election even in detention. The rest as they say is now history. But suffice it to say that you did not become Governor by ZONING, or through any suborn arrangement(s). Your victory came through sweat and sacrifices. If you could win election even in incarceration, I wonder why some people who in the last few years have emerged overnight multi-millionaires, are so afraid of throwing their hats in the ring, and contesting the Gubernatorial Election, even from the comfort of their cozy and newly acquired mansions. Why suddenly resorting to this sordid emotional blackmail called Zoning and exhuming an outdated, unworkable, unused and unusable document called Charter of Equity?

Sir, Your re-election in 2011, which I shall classify as the fifth scenario, saw another stiff competition between you (now as PDP Candidate) and the following Candidates and Political Parties:

TABLE 5. (2011 PARTY CANDIDATES IN ABIA) CANDIDATES PARTY PLACE/ZONE OF ORIGIN REMARKS Chris Alozie PPA Obingwa, (SOUTH) EMERGED Akomas* Paul Ikonne* ACN (SOUTH) EMERGED Reagan Ufomba* APGA Isiala Ngwa North EMERGED (CENTRAL) Bob Ogu* ANPP Isiala Ngwa (CENTRAL) EMERGED

Sir, I am not in a hurry to forget that even your PDP Candidacy was challenged by Ikechi Emenike up to the Supreme Court, same way that your victory was challenged at different stages of the Tribunals/Courts. So nobody remembered ZONING or CHARTER up until now.

C. ABIA CHARTER OF WHAT EQUITY?

Sir, kindly bear with me a little further as I subject this Charter, to critical analysis, in line with current democratic norms. 1. Ours is a political engagement that supports participatory democracy. It is defined as Government of the People, by the people and for the People. It is an all inclusive game, devoid of exclusionism. It is a DEMOCRACY for all, and not an

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

ARISTOCRACY for a few. Dede, it is not even a PITYOCRACY- Government by Pity and Emotions, as is being advocated currently.

2. The Charter came into being after the creation of Abia State on August 17, 1991. Lest we forget, Abia State was created through the benevolence of General , GCFR (OGUGUO NDIGBO), and the resilience/patriotic spirit of the most unsung HERO of Abia State Creation, Late Vice Admiral Chijioke Ogbonnaya Kaja, who sat in Council with his colleagues in the then Provisional Ruling Council (PRC). It was not created with any input from any Charter, so called. Frankly and legally speaking, the charter is only a material after the fact of the creation, and not a condition precedent for the creation. I am of the view that the State should try and honour this seemingly forgotten HERO of the State creation, the Akoli Imenyi Bende LGA born /first Igbo three Star General, Vice Admiral Chijioke Kaja rather than being cajoled into accepting and adopting an anachronistic document, which is wrongly being applied to alienate instead of unifying the various strata of the State. 3. As it was captured in one Local Tabloid recently and We endorse his views therein: “The Charter document has no force of law, as it had never been enacted into Law by our House of Assembly, at any of its sessions, since its maiden inauguration in January 1992”. But assuming without conceding that it has any semblance of legality, it is not superior to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of (as amended), neither is it superior to the 2010 Electoral Act, equally as amended. 4. The Charter has never been respected, enforced nor observed since the creation of Abia (see Tables 1 to 5), above. At best, it has been observed only in BREACH 5. It is in total conflict with the 1999 Constitution, and the Electoral Act, as stated above. For not been in sync with the Laws of the

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

Land, it is null and void, to the extent of its inconsistency with the extant Laws of Nigeria. 6. When juxtaposed with happenings at the Federal Level, it is akin to out rightly disqualifying President , from contesting in 2015, (not for and without prejudice to any gentleman pact that we hear he entered into before the 2011 election), but in order to pave the way for those who ran against him but lost to him in 2011, to win. 7. This charter if suddenly dusted, invigorated and enforced, as is being demanded, will effectively but unjustly disqualify some eminent and qualified sons of Abia, who are widely believed (even if in the realm of grapevine) to be nursing Governorship ambition. Such unjust disqualifications will affect the impending candidacy of prominent Abians who are nursuing interest to contest 2015 Gubernatorial Election from Abian North Senatorial Zone

Disqualifying them (if and when they decide to run) using this Charter will be premised not on non-qualification, but on the mundane arguments being put forward that they part share the same Abia North Senatorial Zonal relationship, with Orji Uzor Kalu; who in any case contested and won his elections without recourse to zoning or this charter.

8. Implementing this Charter now, as is been demanded, is akin to i. Disqualifying CHELSEA FC, from further participation in UEFA Champions League and EUROPA League, for the mere fact that they competed and won against other teams for the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 Editions respectively ii. Disqualifying Nigeria, , Cameroun, Cote d’ ivoire from future participation in CAF organized African Cup of Nations, to enable , Benin Republic, Gambia and probably win future AFCON Competition iii. Disqualifying Spain, Italy, and Brazil etc from participating in future World Cup competition, for winning past editions and to enable Nigeria, Iran, and USA compete and win.

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ABIA CHARTER OF EQUITY AND THE CONTROVERSIAL ZONING ARRANGEMENT BY CHIEF .T.A. ORJI LED ADMINISTRATION

The summation of the above is that Zoning,under any guise breeds mediocrity. We recommend and would love you to be guided by the MAKINDE FORMULA, which simply means staying out of the fray and remaining neutral in the quest for who succeeds you. Ola Makinde, the immediate past Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, adopted that posture recently, in the last election that produced the new Prelate of the Church. He stayed and remained neutral allowing due process and the Holy Spirit to guide the METHODIST CONFERENCE in choosing his successor. Today, both he and the Church are happy for it. Let me reiterate my earlier assertion that Zoning or Imposition of a successor hinders the best from emerging. It is dangerous to do so. It doesn’t even guarantee LOYALTY, as is so clearly obvious to all of us, now.

We will like to end by quoting a statement of fact made like a joke by a top Abia politician of great intellectual bent, who once said: “IT IS DANGEROUS AND WE MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO LACE ANY GROUP WITH TOO MUCH POLITICAL VIAGRA, IN ORDER TO ENABLE THEM ACHIEVE A POLITICAL ERECTION”. We should not over-indulge any group or strata of the state. All Abians (as usual) should be encouraged to contest. That is why it is called NDORO-NDORO-OCHICHI, and not NNYERE-NNYERE-OCHICHI. Like that we will have a true Abia Governor and not an ethnic minded jingoist in the molds of an Ukwa La Ngwa Governor, a Bende Governor, Isuikwuato Governor etc.

FROM SAVE ABIA NOW; A POLITICAL PRESSURE WORKING FOR THE ENTHRONEMENT OF GOOD GOVERNANCE IN ABIA STATE Email;[email protected] Facebook;saveabianow www.saveabia.org

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