Orji Uzor Kalu enjoying the riches earned from the collective treasury of Abia State
By John Mgbe
A few? days? ago,? the? National? Vice? Chairman? of South? East Zone of? the? Peoples Democratic? Party(PDP),Col.Austin? Akobundu (retd.) had? during? a? political? parley?? announced? that? the? former? Governor? of? Abia? State, Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu, was? not? yet?? fully? absorbed? as? full? member? of? the? party as? his?? desire?? to? return? to? the? party? was? still? being? processed. The? summary? of? his?? statement? is? that? Chief? Orji? Uzor? Uzor? Kalu was? yet? to? be?? formally? readmitted? into? the? party. Ordinarily,? this?? innocuous?? statement? would? have?? caused? the?? Chief? Orji? Kalu? group? to be?? more? resolute? in?? pursuing? its?? readmission efforts? into? the? PDP with? vigour? and? vim. But? to? the? attack? dogs? of? Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu(OUK),? hell? was? let? loose. In? their? warped?? imagination,? what?? Col, Robert? Akonobi said? was? a? declaration? of? war?? on? Orji? Uzor? Kalu.
I am? totally?? shocked? at? the?? fall? and? fall? of?? professional? ethics in? the? Journalism? profession as? exemplified? by? what? is? happening? in? the? Daily? Sun? newspaper. It? is?? calamitous? that? the Daily? Sun? newspaper? which? was?? highly? revered ??in? the? past? has?? degenerated? to? the? status? of? a? gossip? tabloid/ rag sheet which? has? become? the? veritable?? rubber? stamp? of? its? publisher, Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu(OUK).In? its? frantic? efforts? to?? please? its? founder,? the? newspaper? has? become? a? shadow? of? its? former? self and? this? is?? a? pathetic? development,? more? so,? taking? cognizance? of? the? calibre? of? personnel? who? are?? actively? involved? in? this? show? of? shame.? In? spite of? the? fact? that? the? Daily? Sun? newspaper?? has?? since? embarked? on? a? roforofo? /street? fight against?? the? age? old?? dictums? of? objectivity? and?? balance? in? the? journalism? profession,? one? had? thought? that? the? aberration? was? a? whirlwind? which would?? pass? away? in? the? short? run. But? we? have? watched? with? dismay? how? the? Daily? Sun newspaper? has? continued? to? dance? naked? in? the? market? square? in a? frantic? bid? to?? please? the?? publisher, Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu.
I started? this? report? by?? making? comment? on? the? harmless??? statement? which? Col. Akonobi? (retd) made? in?? a? political? parley? about? Orji? Uzor? Kalu?s desire? to? return? to? the? PDP-? a? party? he?? abandoned?? over? seven? years? ago. It? is despicable? that? rather? than?? make? a? useful?? comment? on? this? issue, Mr? Ebere? Wabara , the? media? aide? to? Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu,?? went? off? the? mark? to?? start? beating? the? drums? of? war? in? which? he? was? threatening? brimstone? and? hellfire on? anybody? or? groups? who? would?? be? an? impediment? in? OUK?s? return? to? the? PDP.It? is? the? inability? of? the? PDP? to?? checkmate? the? impunity? of? the? like? of? the? former, Orji? Uzor? Kalu(OUK) and? his? attack? dogs? in? the? Daily? Sun? Newspapers? that? is? responsible? for? the? incessant? and? interminable? crisis? in? the? PDP.It? is? pathetic? that? OUK? who? dumped? PDP? over? seven? years? ago? to? found? his? own? party? is? today? forcing? himself? back? on? the? PDP. By? the? way, how ?could? a? man? who?? managed? to?? use? his? emergency? party, PPA,? to?? produce? governors? for? Abia? and? Imo States? in? 2007 not? be? able? to? use? the? two? parties?? as? a? bargaining? chip? to? have? a? red? carpet? treatment? on? his?? return? to? PDP? He? simply? squandered? his? political? capital?? because? of? lack? of? leadership?? suave and? vision. If? OUK?? were? the? real?? leader?? he? masquerades? to? be,? he? would? not?? have? been? stranded?? in? his? bid? to? return? to? PDP.Issues? like? this?? compel? one? to? begin? to? wonder? how? such? people? like? OUK who? manifest? poverty? of?? vision? in? decision? making? managed? to? become?? super? rich even? when? he? does? not? have? the? brain? to? optimize?? the? opportunities? arising? from? his?? control? of? ABIA? and? Imo? states? in? 2007.Within? just? a short? while? after? the? fake?? victories? in? the? two? states,? he? fell? out? of? favour? with? the?? two? governors:DR T.A.Orji? and? Ikedi? Ohakim. It? is? shameful? that? while? OUK??? is? stranded? and? begging? to? be? accepted? back? in? PDP,? the? PDP? moved? their?? Legacy? House? and Wadata? Plaza including? Aso? Rock? to Umuahia? to?? give? Governor? T.A. Orji? a?? hero?s? return? to? PDP? after? he? abandoned? OUK?s? PPA? and?? a? stint? with? APGA. If? PDP? continues? to? tolerate?? such?? arrogant? and? proud?? peacocks?? in? their? party,? the? party? will? never? know? peace? and? in? the? long? run,? it? will? fumble,? wobble? and? even? founder.
How? can? PDP? be?? hobnobbing? with? a?? politician? who? is? so? full? of? himself? so? much? that? he? does? not? have? the? humility? to?? show? respect? to? his? state? governor at? a? time? he(OUK)? is? so? desperate? to? return? to? the? party.OUK? is? a? very ?bad?? political? influence? on? the?? youths? of? this? country. If? he? knows? that? he? is? too? big? to?? defer? to? authority,? he? should?? emulate? other? rich? Nigerians? who? in? spite? of? their?? billionaire? status?? show? respect? to? their? state? governors. Most? of? them,? like? Dangote and? Mike? Adenuga? who? are? super? rich? do? not? interfere? in? the? politics? of? their? ??states. How? can? a? politician? who?? desires? to? return? to? PDP?? allow? his? attack? dogs? in? the? Daily? Sun? to ?continually? use? the?? newspaper?? to?? tarnish? the??? integrity? of?? Governor? T.A. Orji ?for? no? just? cause. In? spite? of? OUK?S ?alleged stinking? rich? status? ,? DR? T.A. Orji? is? in? a? class? of? his? own- an? alumnus of? UNIBADAN and? a hardcore? technocrat to? boot. While? one? can? go? to? bed? as? a? pauper? and? wake? up? the? next? morning? as?? BILL GATES,? one does? not? become?? a graduate? overnight? ? not? to? talk? of? parading??? higher? degrees. Governor? T.A. orji? does ?not? reckon? with? that;? the? only? language? he? and? his? friends? in? the? PDP? understand? is? the? language? of? making? money? ? anyhow ,anyhow ?? ??and? becoming? money? bags.? ?It? is? even? shameful? that? Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu? who? is?? touring? and? relating? with?? great? leaders? in? the? world? does? not?? have? an? iota? of?? respect? for? his? own? state? governor? ,? more so,? a? T.A.Orji? who? took? risks? to?? deliver? and? protect? Governor? Orji? Uzor? Kalu? at? a? time? the? EFCC ?was?? desperate? to?? deal? ruthlessly? with? him. If? Governor? T.A. Orji? had?? opened? his? mouth? to? squeal?? on? the? ignoble? roles? of?? the? then? Governor? OUK,? he? would? have? been? jailed? like? Ibori? and? Alamieseigha ??of? Delta? and? Bayelsa? ?states respectively.
I? appeal? to? this reader? to?? read the? news? story? entitled ?PDP? MEMBERSHIP:Kalu? replies? Akobundu? on? page 3? of? the Sunday? Sun? of? September 14.In? that?? story,? one? of? the?? media? boys? of? OUK,? the? notorious Ebere? Wabara and? tormentor-in-chief on? Governor? T.A ORJI was? threatening? hell? fire? on? whoever? would? dare? think? of? stopping?? the?? glorious? return? of Emperor Orji? Uzor? Kalu? to?? PDP. In? his? reaction? to? the? clarification? of? Col? Robert Akobundu(retd) that? Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu? was? not yet? a? returnee member of? the? PDP as he? had not been formally? readmitted, MR. Ebere? Wabara? who? his? fellow?? attack? dogs? of? OUK ?in? the? Daily? Sun? Newspaper describe? as ?a? wordsmith?? frowned? at? ? Akobundu?s ?divisive? verbiage and? hate? histrionics over? the? formalization of? Kalu?s? anticipatory grand return to? the? all-inclusive party he? co-founded with? other? liberal? minds at? a? time when? most of? these? latter-day(secondary) joiners? of? the? party parroting? leadership and? membership were? unknown and? had? no? economic or? political? pedigree whatsoever?.??? He then went? wild? in? a?? fusillade? of? verbal attacks? on? Col.? Robert Akonobi(retd.)? and? others? in? the? party? in? Abia? State? and? beyond. He? concluded??? by? saying? that? ? All? the? ?gibberish about Kalu?s? PDP recertification,? formal? reception,? imposition??is justificatory balderdash?. Is? this? how?? a? media? aide? to? a?? prospective? member? of? a?? party? should? address? Col.Akonobi(retd),? more? so,? since? he? is? the? Vice Chairman? of? the?? South? East Zone of? the? Peoples Democratic? Party(PDP).This? Ebere? Wabara? is? one? of? the? bad? boys? in? the? Daily? Sun? Newspapers? whose? stock? in? trade? is? to?? attack? Governor? T.A.? Orji in a manner that is?? shocking to? any? media? professional. In? his? desperation? to? please? his? pay master, Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu,? he?? descends? to? the?? market?? square? to?? dance? naked? in?? attacking? Governor? T.A.Orji.He? is? a?? student? of? academic bombast,? high-falutin? obscurantism? and ?obfuscation as? he? plays? to ?the? gallery? in? his?? penchant? for ??impressionistic? verbiage which? he?? uses? to?? attract? applause? from? the ?uninitiated?? and? the? unwary. However,? as? a? media? professional? who? cannot? be? deceived? by? his?? tantrums? and? abuse? of?? professional? ethics,? I? have?? called? his GSM? line? severally? and? pleaded? with? him? to?? turn? a? new? leaf?? and?? use? his?? writing? skill? to? broker? peace? and? reconciliation? between? his?? master,? emperor OUK, and? Governor? T.A.Orji.He? remained? obdurate? and? recalcitrant.
In? my? last? chat? with? him?? a? few? days? ago,? he? shouted? at? me? and? asked? if? I was? on? the? pay roll? of? Governor T.A Orji of? Abia? State.? I told? him? that? ?I? have? never? seen Governor? T.A Orji? before? in? flesh? and? blood. The? last? time? I? visited? Abia? State(ABA)? was? over? four? years? ago? and? I ?do? not? even? know? where? Abia? State? Government? House? is? located. The? last? time? I was? in? Umuahia? was? around? 2006.So,? I? am? not? on? the? Governor?s? pay? roll,? but? I? was? born? in? Abia? State? and? part? of? me? is? still? in? Aba ?the? Enyimba? City?. In? a?? riposte,? he? shouted? at? me? and? asked ?If? so, why? then? are? you?? involved? in? what? is? happening? here? If? a? politician? has? used? his? money? to? set? up? a? newspaper,? what? is? wrong? in? using? it? to? fight? for? him? Perhaps,?? on? a? lighter? note? he? said: ?But? my brother,? you? are?? blowing? big? grammar??. Haba ?! I swiftly?? told? him? that ???I had? to?? step? up? my? diction? because? he(Wabara)? was? often? referred? to? as? a? wordsmith who? was? often? mired? in? academic? obscurantism? and?? obfuscation. We? both?? laughed? heartily? and? I? pleaded? with? him? to?? calm? down? and?? partner? with? the? other? editors? in? the? Sun? Newspaper? to?? broker? peace? and? reconcile the? two? combatants, OUK and Gov.T.A.ORJI.I? severally? held? similar?? chats?? and? exchanged?? text? messages? with? the? top?? editors? of? The? Sun? Newspapers? including? the? Managing? Director, Femi? Adesina, Onuoha? Ukeh? and? Eric? Osagie. They? would? all? emphasize? on? the? need? to?? use?? a? newspaper?? to? fight? for? a? publisher? who?? was? in? the? political? storm. One? of? them? asked:? What? is? the? need? of? setting? up? a? newspaper? if? it? cannot? be? used? to?? support? a? politician? in? a? time? of? distress? I? told? each? of? them? that? there? was? a? need? to? exercise? caution and?? circumspection and? that? they? had? carried? their? support? to? their? publisher? to? a? level? of?? absurdity? and? there? was? a? need? not? to? compromise? professional?? and? ethical? codes? of? the? media? profession.
The? point? being? made? here? is? that? the? PDP? is? encouraging? unnecessary?? radicalism? and?? lawlessness? in? the? political? arena? by? turning? a? blind? eye? to? the? excesses? and? impunity? of? the? money bags? in? their? midst. This? is? why? they? will? continue? to? lose governorship? elections? in?? liberated? states? like? Imo? and? others. There? is?? something? intrinsically?? bad? in? a? situation? where? Orji? Uzor? Kalu? who? desires? to? return? to? PDP? does? not? have? an? iota? or? scintilla? of? respect? to? the? incumbent? governor,DR. T.A.Orji and? Col? Akobobi who? is? the? highest? party? man? in? the? zone? and yet? the? party? chieftains? cannot? call? him? to? order. In normal? societies,? such? a? recalcitrant?? politician? should? have? been?? shut? out?? indefinitely? until? he? shows?? penitence? and? remorse? and?? gets? a? nod? from?? the? governor of? his? home? state? and?? other? party? leaders? in? the? State. If OUK and? his? press? boys? in? The? Daily? Sun newspaper ?can? be? acting? like? a? bull? in? a? China? Shop? at? a? time? he? is? seeking? to? be? accepted? back,? what? manner? of? party? man? is? he? going? to? be? when? he? eventually?? actualizes? his? return. This is? the? stuff? of? which? interminable intra-party? crises are? made.
Even,? the? Daily? Sun? newspaper has? become? an? implacable?? hater? of? PDP? and? the? top? leaders? of? the? party. They? are? more? favourably?? disposed? to? the? like? of? Buhari and? APC? than? to? PDP, President? Jonathan? and Chief? Obasanjo.A? content? analysis of? the? Daily? Sun? columnists?? reports? will? show? clearly? that? the? editorial? policy? of? the? medium? is? anti-PDP? and? yet? the? publisher? is? Chief? Orji? Uzor? Kalu who? is? desperate? to?? return? to? PDP. While? this? selective?? dichotomy? persists,? OUK? does? not? give? a? damn while? other? top? leaders? of? the? PDP? hobnob? with? him? because? he? is? said? to? be? stinking? rich. If? only? the? leaders? of? PDP? knew? how? much? damage? the?? editorial? policy? of? Orii? Kalu?s? newspapers? have? caused? them,? they? would?? keep? a temporary? distance? from? OUK .PDP? is? a? political? party? that? is? not? capable? of? building? strong? political? institution? because?? the? leaders? worship? money and? filthy? lucre. This? will? be? their? nemesis? in? states? like? IMO? State? in? the? 2015? governorship? election. How do I mean? In? Imo? State,? the? Party? is? made? up? of?? a? cross? section? of?? men? and? women? of? integrity? who? have? been? loyal? to? the? party? over? the? years.But? we? are? hearing? that? the? party? is? planning? to? give? its ?2015 governorship? ticket? to?? some? prodigal? sons? who? just?? returned? to? the? party? a? short? while? ago. It?s? only? the? PDP? that? will? be?? hobnobbing? with? such? a?? suicidal? idea? of? abandoning? loyal? party? members?? in? preference? to?? political? party?? opportunists? who?? jump? from? one? party? to ?the? other? in? search? of? power? and? filthy? lucre. The? electorate? is? watching? PDP? and? once? it?? actualizes? this? sabotage of? giving? its? governorship? ticket? to?? those? who? returned? to? the? party? just? yesterday,? the? electorate? will? move? against? them? and? they? will? lose? again? in? 2015.In? summary,? there? is? a? need? for? PDP? to? checkmate? the?? rascality? and? impunity? of? the? money? bags? in? the? party. The? like? of? Orji? Uzor? Kalu? must? be? asked? to? go? home? and? reconcile? with? his? governor ?or? forget? it. He? is? not? indispensable, more? so,? at? a? time? his?? once? intimidating?? influence has?? collapsed? with? a? thud.? This issue? will? be?? elaborately? discussed? in? future? reviews.
John Mgbe
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