The Senator representing Abia central senatorial District, Senator Theodore Orji, has said that his position on which zone to produce the next Governor of the state in 2023 remains unchanged.
Orji had called for the governorship position to be zoned to Abia North senatorial zone in line with the existing rotation agreement in the state.
His Successor, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu , prefers a successor from the Ngwa bloc of Abia central senatorial zone.
Reports emerged yesterday that the senator had met with Ikpeazu who allegedly introduced a former Vice Chancellor of the Abia State University, (ABSU), Uturu, Prof. Uche Eleazar Ikonne, as his successor. The former Governor was said to have accepted Ikonne while his son, Chinedum , who currently serves as the Speaker of the State Assembly, will be compensated with the Ikuano/Umuahia federal constituency position.
However, the Senator explained that his position remains sacrosanct and unambiguous.
“My attention has been drawn to the news on social media platforms and handles concerning the Abia state governorship and where it is zoned to.
“Let me state categorically clear that my earlier position on the subject matter remains sacrosanct and unambiguous .All those working to set Abia state on fire should toe the path of peace, do a rethink and sustain the peace we have been savouring as God’s own state.”
In a related development,stakeholders of the PDP in Abia North senatorial zone, have rejected the zoning of the governorship position to the Abia central and Abia North zones and vowed to resist the plot to deny the zone its turn to produce the next governor.
Describing the zoning formula announced by the party as strange and obnoxious, the stakeholders in a press statement signed by the former Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Eme Okoro, said; “We read with utter dismay, a statement released on Saturday March 26, 2022 by the State Chapter of the PDP and signed by the State Party Chairman, Rt. Hon. Asiforo Okere, in which it zoned the position of Abia Governor, 2023 to Abia North and Abia Central senatorial zones.
They called on the party to reverse the zoning formula, stressing that it is capable of destabilizing the state.
According to the statement; “We unanimously and vehemently reject the purported double zoning arrangement. It is an abnormal novelty that has no place in our great Party. This is the first time that a position of such importance as the governor’s and/or any other for that matter will be zoned to two senatorial zones.
“This type of zoning is retrogressive, obnoxious, conflict-prone, high-handed, self-centered and disruptive to the system that has been running smoothly for the past 23 years. We see it as a calculated attempt and a manipulative scheme designed to smuggle the leadership’s preferred candidate into the Government House through the backdoor after the tenure of the Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
“This ill-fated construct is capable of causing trouble, disunity and disharmony in Abia State that has remained peaceful through the equitable sharing of power among the three senatorial zones since the return to civil rule in 1999.”
The stakeholders also stated that they are shocked that PDP could zone its governorship ticket to the Abia Central zone that handed over power to Abia South zone about seven years ago while Abia North has been waiting patiently for the past 15 years.
“It is not only laughable but a joke taken too far which no well meaning individual or group will take seriously. Let the right thing be done to save our great Party and State from the devastations that follow misguided policies.
“We see this arrangement as an affront on the good people of Abia North who have always worked hard to ensure that power rotates equitably among the three senatorial zones. We view it clearly as a design to deny Abia North the chance of producing the next governor, but we will resist that through all means available.
“We also disagree with the directive asking all the aspirants in Abia North and Abia Central to liaise with the Party for presentation to the State Elders Committee between March 26 and March 30, 2022 because the State Elders Committee has not been formally constituted and therefore does not have the force of law. We call on the leadership of our great Party, the PDP to rethink and do the right thing by reversing the zoning arrangement.”
