Gov Orji Maltreated Me   

The immediate past deputy governor of Abia State, Comrade Chris Akomas, spoke with GEORGE OPARA on his experiences in office, the circumstances that led to his resignation and reacted to some allegations against him

• Comrade Chris Akomas.

In 2007 you had a joint gubernatorial ticket with Governor Theodore Orji. What were your experiences?
You will recall that we contested on the platform of Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA. And not long after we completed the few things we needed do with INEC, Orji, the gubernatorial candidate, was detained by the EFCC. And he remained there until a few days to our swearing-in. So, the entire campaign and electioneering, as well as the activities that led to the collection of the certificate of return were done by me with the party elders, executive at the state level and under the able support and guidance of the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. And I say categorically that I did all this without any money from Chief  Theodore Orji. Nobody gave me any money from his side. I know where I got the monies to run the activities and for the people that went round with me. And to the glory of God, we were given the mandate by the people. We got elected irrespective of all the odds and I was able to collect the certificate of return. The first letter head paper Orji used as governor-elect was designed by me. I designed it, did all the letters that needed to be done, took them to him while in detention and he just signed and I moved on.
But today, I hear people saying that Chris Akomas is over-ambitious. And I laugh because I had every opportunity then if I had wanted to be governor, every opportunity. All I would do was just to keep the certificate of return a day. And that would have been it. And I said no. I know what people told me and I know the temptations that I had to face. I know the pressures that I had to face but I said no, my background is not like that. A man had confidence in me to be his running mate, the party had that confidence, I will keep this for the man. When he comes out he will take it. And that was what I did. And I have remained loyal all through. I am sure most of you never heard of any negative thing irrespective of the conditions that I was subjected to; all the insults and degradation that came upon my person when I was deputy governor. Yet, I remained loyal and focused. At a time, I granted an interview and said Abia has a thriving rumour mill and that was what was happening. People fabricate stories and say things.
It is really interesting now to hear the governor, Chief T.A.Orji say he does not need a deputy. First, it is a constitutional thing. Two, he couldn’t have and wouldn’t have been governor without me as his deputy. It couldn’t have been possible at all. And if anything had happened to me then, if I was not careful, if I was not responsible and anything happened, he wouldn’t have been governor. And yet, despite everything I did, none got into my head or my person. My interest was to do the job of deputy governor to the end of the tenure amicably, bearing in mind that over the past political dispensations, my people from the Ngwa area had already produced five deputy governors and I became the sixth. And my people charged me to ensure that no matter what happened, I should make them proud. And God has helped me to do that. No one could have been able to survive this long without problem. That is how it has been. I only started hearing that I am disloyal soon after my governor defected from PPA to APGA. And I was not even informed, not even invited either orally or in writing. So, it is funny to say that one is disloyal when you did not ask him to do anything. He did not ask me to come with him, he never told me what he was doing. I did not know what was happening. On the same day the manifest was available, I was not even manifested. But at the end of the day, it became part of the things that were alleged against me. But I am happy that the record is there for everybody to see. That’s the story.
I really do not want to talk, unless you have specific questions. If I begin to talk about the things I have gone through as deputy governor, it may affect my emotions. I tried to absorb the shock of the funny things that happened since God helped me over these three years and two months to live and be able to handle them silently. And I took them as a test. I thought he was trying my loyalty, patience and all that. But I later realised there was a hidden agenda, which became more manifest in the person of his brother, the Deputy Chief Of Staff, Chief Charles Ogbonna. From that moment, a whole lot of things happened. I touched on some of them in my letter of resignation which you have there. I may also talk about them with the governor at an opportuned time.

How did your relationship with Orji start?
You may recall that he was serving as chief of staff to former governor Orji Uzor Kalu as I served as Special Assistant on Education and later as commissioner for Lands. And we had a very close relationship. I am a man that relates with people, gives them their due respect and just does my work. I am not involved in any form of sycophancy. When I came on board, I told him and also the former governor that I am not the kind of person that will come to them everyday. And I don’t talk about people. When I come to you, I have come for the job. And anything we discuss, when I go, I have taken it as discussed; I can take it to the bank. And over time, we developed a good relationship. I remember going to his office on one occasion, he just called me and said: “Remain loyal. You have been consistent, loyal and humble. Just continue to do your work well.” So, that was it. He also told me that a lot of people came to him who were angling for the position of deputy governor; some came with money. He said he knows he would work well with me. I never went to anybody to lobby for the position of deputy governor.
I was on my own in October last year when he called me and said: “You are still going to run with me again.” And I said, thank you sir. That was a vote of confidence. In February this year, he called me again and said that he wanted to reassure me that I would be running with him and I said, I have heard you, sir. Irrespective of everything, I look at every negative thing from a positive angle.

With the trust and confidence reposed in each other, what soured the relationship?
You know, in politics a lot of propaganda and rumour go on. And a lot of people who want one thing or the other get into the way. So, effectively, I will say that room was opened for political jobbers and evil men to come up with stories, whether right or wrong, and fabricate things. And they were seen as genuine, which affected the relationship. However, it is one thing to ask somebody to do one thing, it is another thing for that person to accept to do it. The bottom line of all this is that people told the governor that I was going to run against him in the 2011 elections.

You said you had a very pitiable accommodation as deputy governor. How was it like?
I expressed it clearly in my letter of resignation. I was accommodated in what is called Democracy Flat. It is outside the Government House. It is a guest house. There are three of the guest houses along Okpara Avenue and I was put in flat B. Within my premises, there were two other families with their children. They were not working for me nor had anything to do with me. So, in other words, I was living in public premises as deputy governor. And it was just four-bedroom with one entrance. It was a guest house where visitors come, stay and go. The same guest house the governor gave to one of his special advisers on security. Even, one of his friends and other people that come to do domestic work for him are staying in the same place, including a hairdresser with a salon. I told you I don’t want to talk about the condition I was subjected to.

How were you owed over N425 million?
We continued to manage but towards the end of 2008, he began to hold back. Something that he was supposed to pay once, like my security vote, he may decide to pay it three or four times for a month. The same occurred with all the official travels and other authorised expenses. There was something that happened; a statement they made in the allegation of about N4.5m paid into my account. It was a refund of the money I borrowed to execute an official engagement. The governor has this attitude of asking people to look for money and get something done. If you are a responsible person, you will know that when your boss gives you an assignment, if you don’t execute it, it will count against you as non-performance. There is hardly any commissioner that served under this administration since inception that has not got his personal money tied in the government today. This is because they were asked to find a way to get something done and they would get a refund. And sometimes, when those refunds were made at all, of course, it is your money, you have to get it back. Like that money that was refunded to me, no government cheque was paid into my account. And is it not even petty and funny that somebody was talking of N4.5m? Money I borrowed and spent. It is in my defence. I also have such monies still outstanding, which are part of the over 425m owed me. Most of us borrowed from the banks to run government activities, including commissioners and special assistants and advisers. I mean, I don’t want to be provoked into talking because it will not be good for everybody. People will wonder if things like that happened in this age and time and in this country after 13 years of democratic dispensation. So, these are monies due to me statutorily including my emoluments. Every money I put in there was officially approved by the governor and there is a PV for all of them and it is there in the office. I have the record. The ones without PV were things like exco allowance, Security Council allowances etc. Those are things everyone knows. These are simple facts. When people that don’t understand talk, I look at them with silence. It is the style of governance under the leadership of T.A.Orji. For now, I still say let us let the sleeping dog to lie.

Was this tokenism in handling government activities because of lack of money?
You see, we all have different ways of doing things. We have different management styles and different attitudes. And in everything you do, prioritisation is the key. It depends on whether you have prioritised right or wrong. All I can say here is that God helped us that we came on board. And our revenue got some enhancement. But then, some steps were taken as we came on board. One of such steps was that there was this 15 per cent salary increase which the federal government approved. For Abia, it was implemented in May. And Orji had promised the civil servants that if he became governor, coming from that constituency as a retired civil servant, he would promote every civil servant by one salary grade level, which was also implemented.
All these hasty decisions doubled the salary bill of the state; we moved from between N700m and N800m to close to N1.4 billion. Naturally that was an added load. Of course, it affected things. Be that as it may, God also helped us with other things to cushion all that. So, it all has to do with how we prioritise and our styles. We were not like the very rich states. But we are also not among the very, very poor states. Remember I told you I served as SA and also as commissioner. There were times when we were receiving less than N600m in Abia State. Yet, salaries were paid, government businesses were executed, people had proposals which were approved and funded. People were assigned duties and their duties were funded. They were not asked to do those things using their personal money or directed to source for fund to do them. Yes, in government you have things here and there but not as much as to put the state in this level.

Could these perceived abnormal situations explain why you allegedly absented yourself from some state functions?
Never. Never did I absent myself from any state function unless I was not manifested. Initially, I used to attend some state functions even when I was not manifested. And on several occasions as deputy governor, I went for a function and protocol officers told me: “Oga, there is no seat for you. What will you do?” Would you go back next time?
In my response, I told the House of Assembly that from March till the end of June, I was manifested only five times. And that included the day an Appropriation bill for 2010 was signed. That day I had a written permission from the governor to travel. I was not even in the state. And my accusers recorded it against me.
Here, I have the manifest for 2 July when the acclaimed Igbo leaders came. And somebody is charging me of an impeachable offence because I was not manifested to receive a governor of a state and an elder statesman who came for the defection of the governor to their party. The manifest is here. It reads: “Courtesy call by the members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.” That’s the event. Not reception, as they alleged in the charge. So, how could I have attended? I attended every government function. Those that know me know that I am one that takes my job seriously. I came to serve, not to play. If I had come to play or look for money, I would have long gone. What could I be doing using my own money, incurring debt and taking overdraft from the banks to feed? Governor will approve that I travel; they will say there is no money. We can’t fund you. I will go and ask the bank manager to give me money to travel till when they pay. And I will use it to pay the allowances of all those that travel with me, including the Deputy Chief of Staff, the governor’s brother. Well, I have resigned. I am no longer deputy governor. I am former deputy governor. They should not prompt me to talk. There are things I want to say later to the governor at the appropriate time and forum but if the governor wants me to say them to the public, well, fine and good.

But your resignation was said to be rejected, not received and improperly tendered.
Does the constitution say that the governor has the right to accept or reject? What it says is that you tender your resignation. And once it is tendered to the authority or any authorised person(s), your resignation stands valid. How can they say they did not receive it? It was sent to the governor by DHL. I have the proof here. The one for the Speaker of the House of assembly, Rt. Hon. Agwu U. Agwu, was signed by one of his aides whose name is Ogbuleke Christopher. Also, every member of the House got a copy of my resignation letter. The Chief Judge of the state also got his own. What are they talking about? Chief A.V.B. Agbuzuerre said the governor has rejected my resignation. Would you reject what you don’t have or see? So, the whole idea was a show of how petty they are. The governor wanted me to leave office. I have left by resignation. Yet, he said he has rejected it. What does he want? As at the time they were being goaded into doing their so-called impeachment, I did not have any pin either in my office or in the transit camp. I call that guest house where I was staying a transit camp. I had left to my village. And somebody went and sat there and said, ‘I impeach an open office.’ I tendered my resignation which took effect on 30 July. I made it public on 31 July after the letter to the governor and speaker of the House had gone to them. I made it public both in electronic and print media, even with advertorials. Anyway, that is for the lawyers to talk about.

It was alleged you had amorous relationships with the female aides in your office.
Can’t you see how petty the whole thing has become? In the office or where? I mean, you look at things sometimes and then you marvel at the thinking of people. I have never had any amorous relationship with any staff of my office. And it is very petty. What are we talking about here? Did any lady, anybody in my office, any of my staff come to tell anybody that she was asked or punished to do something because of one thing or the other? No. If any, let the person say it. All through my time as SA, commissioner and for three years and two months as deputy governor –– and I was described by my governor as the most loyal deputy governor in Nigeria –– there was no problem. As soon as he defected from PPA to APGA seeking his second tenure, I became a disloyal deputy governor. As soon as they started doing what they are doing, I became a man that had amorous relationships with his female staff. My brother, there are things that are so petty that nobody should say. And which of those people there that say Chris Akomas had amorous relationship can stand before me and prove that they are in any way as decent as Chris Akomas?
I keep saying they should not make us say things. There are things to say ooo! They know it oo! And we have them. They should not make us say things! If we open our mouths, this world will scream because we know, we know, we know them in the various offices. And there is evidence of what they have done. And there are people who can come out and say you denied me of this, punished me because of this, and did this and that against me because I refused to do this. Several of them. It is not the same with me. I have answered this question because people have good impression about me. And they are trying to tarnish my image so that if I am at all considering to run, I should not. In any case, now that I have resigned, I will find a way to remain focused and move forward. And that includes taking all the political options available to me.

Do you have any regret resigning?
Regret in resigning? What type of regret for a man that has been working and borrowing money? Since this year, how many times have I been paid? I told you that since late 2008, I had been working with selective and random mode of payment that accumulated my outstanding to over N425m. I am owing the banks. Would I regret that I have resigned and now stopped borrowing money to do the work? Do you know what it means for a governor to approve an assignment for you and you don’t carry it out and you tell him there is no money? Is that what the public will hear? They will hear that you were given an assignment and you did not do it. And I did not want that to happen.