Kalu, Orji Keep Mum Over Ohakim’s Decamping

As the rumoured decamping of Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, from the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) grows thicker by the day, top notchers of PPA in Abia State have refused to comment on the issue which political watchers say was imminent.

Abia is awash with guesses and predictions that the Imo state governor, who was elected on the platfrom of PPA during 2007 general elections, would decamp to PDP on July 25, with President Umaru Yar’ Adua in attendance.

While the PPA founder and Board of Trustee (BoT) chairman, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, refused to see newsmen who thronged his Igbere Camp Neya country home twice last week to get his views on the issue, Governor Theodore Orji, has described the story as a rumour.

Newsmen from Umuahia had swarmed the Igbere country home of Kalu penultimate Sunday when he called a meeting of commissioners who had served in Abia from May 1999 March 2009, to get his views

on the issue and other national events.

Kalu, who emerged from the meeting looking unhappy, dismissed the newshounds unceremoniously, saying that he was tired, adding that the reporters should only come on appointment.

The former Abia governor told the reporters to go and come back the following Tuesday by 10 a.m

But another drama was to play out as the newsmen were treated to a waiting game that Tuesday which lasted for about five hours when one of his aides emerged from his massive White House to inform the reporters that Kalu was fasting and would only see them by 6 p.m. after breaking his fast.

The information was to be countered later when another aide came and announcedthat the former governor would not see the reporters as he was not well.

It could, however, be recalled that Kalu had earlier warned that he would drag Ohakim to the Supreme Court if he dumps the PPA.

On his part , Governor Orji said he would not act on rumour, adding that the party would decide the course of action to take if Ohakim eventually leaves PPA.

Answering questions in Umuahia on Thursday on his return from an official engagement on what the rumoured decamping of Ohakim portends for PPA as a party and the South East in particular, Orji said “you can’t do anything with rumour. Until he decamps, and when we see that he actually decamps, then we will make our comment. As of now, it’s still rumour”.