Abia Speaker, Orji Opens Up On Strained Relationship With Ikpeazu

The current Speaker of the House of Assembly in Abia State, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji has stated that the results of the just-concluded 2023 elections in Abia and all other states have taught him lessons.

He said that Okezie Ikpeazu, a former governor, was sponsoring his opponent in a different party to stop him from running for the House of Representatives in the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency in the recent National Assembly elections.

He was speaking out against the backdrop of ongoing outbursts from critical Abia political stakeholders in the wake of his recent appearance alongside his father, former Abia Governor Senator Theodore Orji, at Governor Alex Otti’s inauguration on May 29, 2023, at Umuahia Township Stadium.

Orji, who represents the state’s Umuahia Central Constituency, insisted that the days when he fought for the good political interests of close allies and friends had passed. However, he regretted he was being rewarded with blackmail and propaganda meant to harm his image.

He additionally explained his new appearance with his dad and the ongoing delegate of Abia Central Senatorial District at the public gathering, Senator Theodore Orji,

“When you have a governor-elect that wrote to you or extended an invitation to you from another party, to please come and witness his inauguration; when you have a governor-elect reaching out to one of his predecessors who happened to be my own father, to please come and be a guest on his inauguration; if you are in my shoes, what will you do? I am throwing the question to you, the journalists. You will honor the invitation.”

“Is it about politics or Abia State? Let me tell you something, my dear brother. The days of Chinedum Orji (Ikuku) fighting other people’s wars are over. If you want to fight anybody, come out and do the fights yourself. Don’t hide under anybody.”

“I fought against the current governor twice between 2015 and 2019. You all know about it. At the end of the day, who told you those people I was fighting for? Did the person I fought for not reach out to the people I fought against? Who told you?”

“All these people who were our enemies, didn’t the former governor go behind and reconcile with them? Didn’t he reconcile with them? Why must my own be a topic? Did he not visit President Tinubu the other day? Have you people killed him?”

“It is a season of do me, I do you. I went there out of courtesy. And immediately he was inaugurated as governor, I left. And since that time, he has been naming those people who worked with him. Did you see my name? Did you see my relation’s name? Did you see the name of anybody close to me there?”

“When you are hobnobbing with my enemies in the night. When you sponsored my opponent in the night, and I decided to be a statesman, and you had an issue with that. But you were sponsoring my opponents, and you want me to continue fighting your enemies for you. So that when I fight, you win. And you go by 2 am, you invite him to your place and reconcile with him. He will then tell him how bad and cankerous the boy is. He is always fighting. I didn’t send him. I didn’t do this. All those “gamji” (scams) don pass. All those gamji periods don pass.

“If you want to fight, you fight. You come out and do the fighting by yourself. So, if you fight me directly, I will fight you also directly. Am a man and I’m not afraid of them. But for me, while I will be doing the fighting for you and you keep quiet. So, attending Otti’s inauguration is about Abia state.”

Recall that Theodore Orji and the son and Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji were said to have single-handedly installed Okezie Ikpeazu as governor of the state after keenly contested gubernatorial elections in 2015 and 2019.

Ikpeazu defeated Otti twice.

However, Ikpeazu lost the bid to install his anointed successor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the just-concluded 2023 elections held in the state.