Orji Uzo Kalu’s Progressive Peoples Alliance on Tuesday reacted to the defection of the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, to another political party, saying the governor’s new party would not save him.

Observers are interpreting this to mean that Chief Theodore Orji  is doomed because the present Governor of Abia State, took oath of allegiance to Kalu twice at Okija shrine.

Chief Theodore Orji  at Okija Shrine

A video of Theodore Orji, performing rituals at the Okija shrine was widely circulated.
Chijioke Okoro, an ex-aide of the former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu who was also a regular at the Okija shrine on behalf of Kalu on 26 May 2008 gave newsmen an insight into how they operated and why all the then appointees in the State exhibited robotic obedience to Kalu.
The National Chairman of the PPA, Mr. Larry Esien, stated in an interview that it was wrong for the governor to defect from the party because he was asked to give account of his stewardship to the people that elected him.
Though the immediate past governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Kalu, had said that his successor and governor of the state, Chief Theodore Orji, is free to dump the Progressive People’s Alliance, people wait see what effect the oath swearing will now have on Theodore.
The national working committee of the PPA gave the governor a month-deadline to pay salaries of civil servants; money owed contractors and the outstanding allowances of his deputy which had not been paid since 2008.
The PPA confirmed receiving a resignation letter from the governor, adding that Orji was silent on the party he would be joining.
Spokesman of PPA Esien said he was happy that the Orji’s deputy, Dr. Chris Akomas, and members of the state House of Assembly still remained in PPA.
It will be recalled that the PPA leaders had, in a resolution on Monday, demanded that the governor must pay workers’ salaries.
The party’s NWC had met to review the invitation it sent to the governor and other members of the party recently.
Apart from Orji, others invited included Orji’s deputy, Dr. Chris Akomas; the party’s chairman of Board of Trustees, who is also a former governor of the state, Chief Orji Kalu and Senator Uche Chukwumerije.
But a faction of the PPA led by Olu Akerele on Tuesday expressed its support for the governor. It advised the governor to ignore the query issued to him by the party. The National Secretary of the faction, Mr. Chris Ijale, said that it was surprised by the antics of Kalu’s group.
Meanwhile the governor, in a statement on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Kingsley Emereuwa, confirmed that he had resigned from the PPA.
He said the decision was in response to the yearnings of the people of the state whose interests he said could not be protected in PPA.
The governor has been rumoured to be interested in joining the Peoples Democratic Party.

On July 2, the leadership of the party led by DIM Odimegwu Ojukwu, Peter Obi and National Chairman of the party , Chief Victor Umeh, will be in Umuahia to receive Governor Orji into their party.