By Anayo Okoli

Umuahia— SEQUEL  to the face-off between him and his party, the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, has resigned his membership of the party, saying the interest of the people who voted for him into power was no longer protected.

In a letter entitled “Withdrawal of membership”, personally signed by the Governor and addressed to his ward chairman and copied to the local government, state and national chairman of the party, Orji said that the decision was “irrevocable”.

“I write to inform you and other members of PPA of the withdrawal of my membership of PPA”, the letter said. He said that the “irrevocable decision” was in respect to pressure from the people whom he said , “no longer feel protected within the confines of PPA”.

It is not confirmed which party the Governor will join, though there are strong indications that he may join APGA.

Other sources are linking him with Action Congress, while one of his aides said no fewer than 32 political parties were already wooing the governor.

Governor Orji was earlier said to have challenged his party, the PPA, to make public his written reaction to the allegations leveled against him by the National Working Committee, NWC.

Shortly after the Governor failed to appear before the committee to answer the allegation on ground of ill health, and requested for another date, the party wrote him again directing him  to pay all arrears of salaries to workers, repair roads in Aba, fight crimes in the state, and release all alleged withheld statutory allowances due the Deputy Governor, Comrade Chris Akomas.

The party gave him an ultimatum of between August and December to accomplish these things.
Meanwhile, Abia State House of Assembly has passed a vote of confidence on the Governor, an action that will soon pitch the House against the party and the party’s BOT Cairman, Chief Orji Kalu, believed to have great influence on all the members of the party in the House.

The House, which also at its plenary session yesterday deliberated on the draft of the amended 1999 Constitution, threw its support for the Governor.

Political observers had earlier thought that the House would follow the line of the party and  BOT chairman, as there are speculations among the people here that the former Governor had a hand in putting most of them in the House.
But with the position of the House, it is not known yet what the reaction of the party will be.

Tension is rising in the state as security had been beefed up around Government House, Umuahia. Visitors to the place are now thoroughly questioned before they are allowed in. Security operatives at the Government House are on the alert. 

Meanwhile, unconfirmed report yesterday said that the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Mascot Orji Kalu, who is the younger brother of the former Governor, has resigned from the government in reaction to the on-going crisis. Governor Orji had dissolved his cabinet on Monday but said that the Chief of Staff and few others should continue with their duty.

Reacting to the ultimatum given him, Orji challenged the party to make public his defence of the allegations leveled against him by the party, saying it would be unfair for the party to make public its own position without allowing the public to know what his own position is.

Speaking through his Media Adviser, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue, the Governor said that no civil servant in the state is presently owed any salary. According to him, by that position, it portrayed the party as being behind the events because according to him, all the workers have been paid up to last month.

On the issue of security, Orji maintained that his administration has done a lot, including proclaiming amnesty to criminals, especially kidnappers and their sponsors. He also said that the party should realize that the Federal Government has waded into the issue of insecurity in the state and made it a national issue, and that the situation was returning to normal.