By Dodoh Okafor
Mr Orji Uzor Kalu, the man who ruled Abia State between 1999 and 2007, has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons.
Chief Kalu, unfortunately, appears not to have outgrown the youthful exuberance and shortsighted disposition to public affairs that characterised his reign as governor, more than 20 years ago.
We all know how desperately Mr Kalu wants to return to the Senate in 2027 and how he would do anything to achieve an ambition many community leaders in Abia North are strongly opposed to.
Interestingly, rather than confront the reality of his looming defeat in 2027, Orji Kalu appears obsessed with Governor Alex Otti, trying to use the Governor’s good name and excellent standing with the public to launder his image. Kalu, in recent days, has shown himself to be incapable of making any public comment without drawing Gov. Otti’s name to it, especially when there is absolutely no need to make such references.
We understand Mr Kalu’s anxiety and fears. Without a shadow of doubt, we sympathise with him but then, it is not in Gov. Otti’s place to help him politically, against the democratic rights of Ndi Abia North.
While Chief Kalu is at liberty to pursue his political interests, however vaunting , what we shall resist, and by “we” here, I mean all lovers of good governance and that is about 99% of the legitimate voters in Abia State, is any attempt by Kalu and his co-travellers to rewrite history as we know it.
For those who were not of age in the Kalu era, here are 5 indisputable facts about Orji Uzor Kalu’s 8 year reign in Abia:
1. Kalu it was who institutionalised mediocrity in Abia politics. Thankfully, Governor Otti has proven that we can rise above the Uzor Kalu way. Chief Kalu’s reign, if you recall, was characterised by all manner of underhand, subterranean dealings. From appointments to contract awards, Kalu took governance as an exercise in roadside transaction where something must be extracted from you before you or whatever proposal you brought can get any look-in. We heard reports, from those who worked within Kalu’s kitchen cabinet, of how they were made to take certain oaths or sign odd undertakings before they were considered for appointments or jobs they were legitimately qualified for. It was such a sad time for our State that many self-respecting men and women quietly disconnected from the polity to avoid staining themselves in the rot that Kalu introduced.
2. Multiple power centres: It was difficult to know who was in charge, some assumed that Orji Kalu was in charge but we often heard reports of decisions taken by Kalu being overruled by another family member living in Aba. From appointment to contracts and other major public decisions, even university admissions, it was hard to know who really was in charge as politicians, in their desperation for power, had to please several gods connected to the Kalu family tree because even if Kalu gives you the nod, a shaking of head from one of the oracles puts everything in jeopardy; a typical example was in the choice of TC chairmen, commissioners for juicy offices and of course, heads of motor parks and markets, nothing was off-limits, they had their tentacles everywhere and as you may have guessed, milked the State from all corners.
3. “Sharp Sharp roads” that collapsed in weeks: It is difficult to point to one road done by Orji Kalu in any of the major towns with heavy traffic that stood for more than 20 weeks, the roads often collapsed even as the contractors are still on site and the reason is simple: they were often done by unknown, hurriedly registered construction companies set up to milk the public. Secondly, Kalu’s contractors had no regard for quality materials and of course, when much of the project sums are either looted by vested interests within the family, what then can the contractor really do? So Kalu coming today to talk about Governor Otti “painting roads” done by him reminds us of the terrible tragedy he was because none of thise roads survived his calamiteous reign. Not one.
4. Kalu enriched himself using Abia resources, setting up private companies all over the place while public cooperations owned by the State suffered quick decline and then, left to rot. Think of Abia Newspapers vs Sun newspapers for example. Who remembers his airline, Slot Air or so and then a bank in Congo or Sudan, set up exactly when the man, lacking decency or sense of prudence, was still Governor.
5. For his crimes against Ndi Abia, Kalu was sentenced to a 12-year prison term for stealing N7.65 billion belonging to Abia public. If you adjust for inflation, you may be looking at a theft of about N200 billion. Now tell me why a man with such an odious record wants to measure himself against Gov. Otti? It is unfortunate that Mr Kalu’s delusion won’t allow him know his match. But again, we are here to constantly remind him that Gov. Otti is only working to clear the mess that he laid its foundation and then had his protegees who succeeded him, institutionalise.
For clarity, perhaps the senator has forgotten, Otti came to power 16 years after his reign. It is unfortunate that Kalu’s mentees could not even “paint” the “sharp sharp ” roads he hurriedly built, and then used to siphon public funds as EFCC prosecution team proved in court. Kalu’s learnt from the master of “sharp sharp” and like their mentor, sought to build their own empires.
Unfortunately, like a mansion built on quicksand, everything has since collapsed as the people have vowed that Kalu and his type shall have no further role in our politics, starting from 2027.
Now let me conclude by telling us 5 things that would happen in the build-up to the Abia North senatorial contest in 2027:
1. Across the 5 LGAs of the zone, people will vote, every vote would count and only the true winner will be announced victorious, not an impostor, not the one who paid the largest bribe to corrupt electoral officials. There shall be no manipulation anywhere, from Umunneochi to Arochukwu, there will be no rushed announcements and no rigging in any polling unit. The people will decide who will represent them in the Red Chamber and from the look of things, Kalu may be serving his last term in Abuja as a senator. Bear in mind that the people have since taken note of Kalu’s election day games and would surely resist any attempt to impose himself against the will of the people going forward.
2. Gov. Otti, on the strength of his goodwill and credibility with the people will play a major role in convincing the people on how they will vote. He is the leader and the people will follow his direction because he has shown himself wise, decent and committed to the greater good. Ultimately, any candidate endorsed by Dr Otti for any position in 2027, including the Abia North senatorial slot, already has a 70% chance of victory. Again, not by manipulation or the fraudulent use of State resources as Kalu would have done, but strictly on the strength of his good standing with the voters, his performance in office and his ties to the major stakeholders across every ward in Abia North and beyond.
3. The young people who were in primary school when Kalu became Governor would certainly vote for someone whose presence in Abuja would give them hope that one day, they will make it to the top also. The logic is simple: Orji Kalu’s return to the Senate in 2027 could give the impression that he “owns” this place. I was in JSS2 when Kalu became Governor, todayI am 40. Now the question: are my peers and immediate seniors not worthy of political positions? If we keep voting Mr Kalu, when are these young men and women also going to get the opportunity to serve the people, perhaps better than Kalu is doing or has done in almost 40 years?
4. Kalu would be disappointed by the external powers he could be banking on because this time, everyone would be fighting for their political lives. Kalu would have to contend with angry party members here in the Abia, the young people who feel that he ate their yesterday, is eating their today and is also plotting to eat their tomorrow, and of course, fellow politicians from other places who will insist that the time has come to have another masquerade on the big stage.
5. APC members in Abia will work fervently against Orji Kalu and the reason is.simple: the man is too selfish to have the support of any self conscious politician. And you can find proof of this all over the place- it is always about Kalu, Orji and Uzor. No one else is worthy of an appointment, only the Kalus, they alone are exclusively good for the dividends of political offices and every other person is only good for the minor errands of buying anara and ose oji.
Dede lotawa, oge eruole mgbe anyi ji eshiaghiri ofe.
But again, we will not force you to read the signs of the time but as our people say, a naghi agwa mmadu na ugbo oloko n’abia.
Ubochi nta, ka anyi chuo na owerre nchi.
Ka udo chiaaaaa
*Dodoh Okafor is a Public Affairs Analyst
