A former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Kalu, has said he is no longer running for the Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The former governor has therefore asked the party to refund the N5.5m he paid for the nomination and expression of interest forms, which he paid thinking that he would contest the party’s ticket for Abia North Senatorial District.
Kalu, in a letter to the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, dated November 24, said he was withdrawing from the race because the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, has allegedly concluded plans to hand-pick PDP aspirants in the state.
“Since I was not screened and neither did I go through any of the stipulated processes that lead to the emergence of candidates, I hereby also ask the party, as a measure of honour and good faith, to refund the nomination fees I paid. I will use the money to further empower my constituents in many other ways,” he said in the letter.
He lamented that the governor allowed some high profile members of the party to resign from plum positions to contest for the PDP ticket, when he should have advised them to keep their positions since he already had aspirants he hand-picked to fly the PDP ticket.
He said, “Along the line, however, it became apparent that the Abia State Governor, Chief T.A Orji wants to hand-pick all candidates, both into executive and legislative position. He wants to choose his own successor, fill the 24 House of Assembly seats, the eight federal constituencies and the three senatorial seats.
“Governor Orji knew ahead of time that he had a candidate in mind but deliberately allowed eminent Abia citizens, like Dr. Alex Otti, the Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank, to resign from his lofty position, when he should have advised him to remain there.
