By Anayo okoli, Umuahia
ABIA state Governor Chief Theodore Orji Tuesday ended months of speculation on his political future when he declared officially to run for the 2011 governorship election in the state under PDD, with a promise to do well this time around.

Making the declaration at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Government House, Umuahia, Orji said “I have the privilege and humility to come to you today to formally declare my intention to run for second term in office as the Governor of Abia State, under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the coming 2011 general election”.

Orji wrote off those challenging him in the race, describing them as “tokunbo” even as he described himself as a “brand new vehicle”, which would definitely outpace the second hand vehicles.

The governor however admitted that the past three and half years of his administration were full of “story of a good man who joined the wrong (people),a story of a potential promising state that was truncated into a privatized estate”.

However, he claimed that he was now “stronger and more dedicated to serve Abians even better”.

“I now ask you to use me as the new face of Abia, and in this phase of Abia’s renaissance”.

Present at the ceremony were his political associates and PDP stakeholders in the state including Senators Uche Chukwumerije, Enyinna Abaribe; Labour and Productivity Minister, Chief Emeka Wogu and his Women Affairs counterpart, Iyom Josephine Anenih, former PDP national chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulofor, among others.