Theodore Orji
Theodore Ahamefule Orji | |
|---|---|
| 8th Governor of Abia State | |
| Assumed office May 29, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Orji Uzor Kalu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1940 Abia State, Nigeria |
| Political party | Progressive Peoples Alliance |
Theodore Ahamefule Orji is the current Governor of Abia State. He was elected on May 29, 2007 amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud. Prior to his election, Orji, a career civil servant, served as the Chief of Staff to former Abia Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu [1].
Politics
Indictment for financial fraud
Following his nomination as the gubernatorial candidate for the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Theodore Orji was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for his supposed involvement in looting the Abia State treasury [2] [3]. Though Orji's party claimed his arrest was politically motivated, the EFCC had substantial evidence to prove that Theodore Orji, along with three other senior Abia state officials in the Orji Kalu administration, facilitated the embezzlement of close to 40 billion Naira (320 million USD) on behalf of Orji Kalu [4].
Allegations of electoral fraud
Though its candidate remained incarcerated, the PPA was determined to get him elected on the April 14, 2007 gubernatorial elections. On April 12, two days before the election, governor Orji Kalu ordered his Finance Commissioner to release the sum of 250 million Naira from the Abia state treasury to Mrs. Mercy Orji, wife of Theodore Orji, to "offset some campaign expenses" [5]. A day before the election, political thugs with ties to the PPA purportedly tried to assassinate Onyema Ugochukwu, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and frontrunner in the 2007 Abia state guber election. The assailants fired shots at his motorcade, fatally wounding one of his State Security Service (SSS) bodyguards, who suffered gunshot wounds through his head and hands [6] [7] [8]. Theodore Orji was declared winner of the election on April 15 2007. He was subsequently released on bail to be sworn in as governor—and thus gained immunity from persecution; a move that was criticized by legal bigwigs such as Gani Fawehinmi [9].
Okija shrine scandal
A month into Theodore Orji's administration, it was revealed that he had allegdly been taken to a secret "Okija shrine" to pledge his allegiance to Orji Uzor Kalu in exchange for his support in the 2007 Abia state guber elections. According to Section 182, subsection (1)(h) of the Nigerian constitution, "No person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if he is a member of a secret society". Orji Uzor Kalu supposedly documented this exercise on a video tape, in what is beleived to be an insurance policy should Theodore Orji choose to betray him upon assuming the office of governor.The video tape also depicts Mr. Chris Osuagwu, a former commissioner in the Orji Uzor Kalu administration, directing the secret ritual exercise. Theodore Orji's administration has dismissed the photographs as the mud-slinging politics of aggreived opponents in the 2007 election. Former aides of Orji Uzor Kalu however profess that the ex-governor Orji Uzor Kalu routinely subjected his appointees to the same ritual and blackmail in order to guarantee their loyalty.
Further reading
- Okija shrine video on YouTube
- Group petitions EFCC over N250m released to campaign organisation
- Gani Faults Theodore Orji's Bail
- Theodore Orji Gets Bail, Sworn-in as Abia Gov
- Ribabu And Money Laundering Law
- A Governor in Chains
