Following the flurry of reactions by concerned Abians to the disgraceful display of perfidy by Orji Uzor Kalu in the last two weeks at Aba, I have decided to put the records straight on some of the issues raised by this curious campaign.
As an Abia statesman, I am seriously concerned at the seeming shortness of public memory. And my question is; why will some Abians allow themselves to be treated as people with no cerebral cortex?
Those of us who had a firsthand experience of the horrendous phase under Kalu will be unfair to our conscience if we sit by and allow a resurgence of that dark past.
The people who support another invasion of Aba by the Kalu family in the name of a bye-election clearly do not mean well for our great state.
After dwelling in political sabbatical for almost a decade, regrettably, Kalu is still going about with his antiquated mob antics telling bare-faced lies, grandstanding and generally irritating the sensibilities of all well-meaning men and women of goodwill.
In the last one week, he has proven to all who thought that he learnt anything from his prison experience that gimmickry, duplicity, chicanery cannot be washed away by the detergent of detention. Orji Uzor Kalu has become a menace to Abia society.
Orji Uzor Kalu is an impulsive liar. For him, anything that can elicit a few claps of hands from the unsuspecting public is in order. He is lacking in character, values and displays the type of dramatic pettiness that appeals only to street urchins and marabouts.Orji Uzor Kalu is not normal; he is dangerous; a rapacious political virus seeking to devour the soul of our collective patrimony.
We all know that the problem of Abia State started with Orji Uzor Kalu.This point cannot be overemphasized.
In 1998, when the military finally agreed to cede power, most reputable Abia elites who ought to have moved in to give direction to our nascent democracy, were unfortunately complacent and skeptical. The vacuum their apathy created was exploited by the cunning Oji Uzor Kalu. And so, for almost ten years, OUk, his mother and siblings devalued governance and converted Abia to almost a banana republic.
Through a heinous and bizarre system known as “mama karasi”, our dear State suffered almost an irreparable relapse. Orji Uzor Kalu freely ransacked the treasury, disorganized the civil service, dislocated due process, castrated all institutions of government and chased away the few courageous citizens that dared to differ with them.
In those dark days, Abia became more or less an automatic monarchy superintended over by a devilish rapacious dynasty headed by the Kalus.
Abians are not stupid. There’s no need for posturing. Power is about interest and Mascot Uzor Kalu cannot represent the interest of Aba North and South more than Chimaobi Ebisike.
This is because whereas the aspiration of Orji Uzor and his brother is propelled by animalistic effrontery, the aspiration of Chimaobi Ebisike is a genuine movement for self determination and service. Mascot Uzor Kalu is a relic and irritating reminder of our inglorious past. His interest is vainglorious and an affront on all of us.
As I watch the unfortunate re-enactment of the Orji Uzor Kalu’s tragic episode in the style and content of the APC catastrophic campaigns, my heart bleeds for the hard working people of Aba and Abia as a whole.
We cannot allow Orji Uzor Kalu to continue to treat us with arrogance, and contempt. We must call his bluff and damn his brazen effrontery. We must prove to him that Aba and Abia of today are free from the shackles of yesteryears.
We must roundly reject Orji Uzor Kalu, his brother and his blood letting political machinery.
Orji Uzor Kalu is over-reaching himself and he must be told this plain, finite truth in black and white. Orji Uzor Kalu is insulting Abians old and young.
That is why we must stop Orji Uzor Kalu with our votes this Saturday. It is a generational responsibility of all Abia patriots living in Aba North and South.
We must support Governor Okezie Ikpeazu who has brought to Aba the desired positive transformation that eluded the Enyimba City hitherto.
By giving its ticket to Chimaobi Ebisike, the PDP has shown that it is sensitive to the subsisting mood of the people of the Federal Constituency and that is why all hands must be on deck to ensure victory and create a new pathway for the emancipation of Abia State.
By voting for the PDP candidate, Abians in Aba North and South Federal Constituency would be sending a strong message across Nigeria and the entire world that ENOUGH IS TRULY ENOUGH!
At stake on Saturday is the contest between our darkest past and our brightest future. It presents us with a unique opportunity to make the genuine change we seek.
Those trying to subvert the will of the people on Saturday will be roundly disgraced and disappointed. The people of Aba North and South Federal Constituency will massively vote for Chimaobi Ebisike on the basis of governance experience, knowledge of the terrain, track record of meritorious service, justice, equity and fairness.
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
Eze Chikamnayo
Iyierioba.
