Abia State’s former governor, Orji Uzo Kalu is not a political neophyte. Nigeria
On two occasions, he contested for presidency and lost. At other times, he contested the senatorial seat of his zone and lost. The defeats did not whittle his spirit.
On the strength of the result, Kalu went to the Senate and emerged as Chief Whip. This was after he mounted an elaborate campaign to become the Senate President and why the Southeast should be allowed to produce senate president. He however chickened out when the chips were down. Ordinarily, Sen. Orji seems to have has a head start going by the already declared results. Apart from leading in the first ballot with over 10,000 votes, Kalu has a knack that had always seen him navigate difficult political terrain, which could be of great advantage when employed in the supplementary exercise.
He knows too well how badly the leaders of the party had wanted him out of the political scene and the estranged relationship he has enjoyed even with the people he elevated in politics. The truth is that, it would be difficult for the party to abandon him in this time of need, especially now that the PDP at the national was prepared to throw in anything to sustain its hold in the state. Ohuabunwa is also not a push over. He had won election in the past and had used the first four years in the senate to work for his people. It is said that if he was able to muster enough evidence that dwarfed the victory of Orji Kalu, then it is erroneous to believe that he is a featherweight.
It was gathered that one of his major obstacles in the state remains his former Chief of Staff, a two-term governor and Senator representing Abia Central, Theodore Orji. Although he did all in his powers to foist Theodore on the people of the state in 2007, that alliance collapsed when Theodore realised that he was man enough to decide how to run his government in the state. The love lost between the two has refused to heal.
The zone had argued that, since the three senatorial zones – Abia north through Orji Kalu had ruled from 1999 to 2007; Abia Central through Theodore Orji from 2007 – 2015 and Okezie Ikpeazu from 2015 to end in 2023, have had their slots, there was need to return power to the area .
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