By Anayo Okoli

Umuahia— GOVERNOR Theodore Orji of Abia State who last week dumped his former party, PPA, yesterday accused his deputy, Comrade Chris Akomas, of not being loyal, alleging that he plotted to remove him and take over.

Governor Orji, who opened up for the first time on the soured relationship, said he would function without a deputy governor. According to him, Akomas is the arrow head of those planning to overthrow him in the then PPA government.

The governor lamented that before he liberated himself from his political godfather, he had no power of his own to take decisions. According to him, if he ever challenged them, he would be asked to go and sit down.

Orji, who spoke when his kinsmen from Ibeku  came on a solidarity visit, under the umbrella of Ibeku Egwuasa Development
Association,IEDA, expressed surprise that Akomas could stab him in the back after pledging total loyalty at Isieke, the ancestral home of Ibeku, at a reception organized for him (Orji) by his people.

Speaking with journalists later, the governor said he did not need a deputy to function as a governor but that since the constitution has made provision for deputy governor, he has no option than to have one. He, however, said they still work together, with each person minding his respective office.

“My deputy is not a loyal deputy for sure. He’s been trying to push me away. He wants to take over my seat but that won’t happen,” Orji alleged, pointing out that his deputy had openly indicated interest in removing him from office hence he could no longer trust him.

Orji alleged that Akomas manifested interest in taking over his job when he told a national newspaper that the structure would decide if he would contest the governorship in 2011 rather than saying yes or no.