JOHN OKIYI KALU: WHEN LYING IS A DANGEROUS ADDICTION.
JOHN OKIYI KALU: WHEN LYING IS A DANGEROUS ADDICTION.
A few hours ago, Ikpeazu's former Commissioner for Information published a piece he captioned "Abia House of Assembly: When a Puppet is On the Throne the House is Disgraced"
Kalu's targets were the Governor of the State, His Excellency Governor Alex Otti, and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa. His agenda as usual was to use lies to disparage the duo, while misleading the public.
Kalu's grudge this time around was that Governor Alex Otti wrote a letter to the House of Assembly through the Hon. Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the State, Barrister Ikechukwu Uwanna requesting the Confirmation of Chairman and Members of Abia State House of Assembly Service Commission.
According to John Okiyi Kalu, the Governor's directive to his Attorney General to officially write the House of Assembly "is not only against convention but a clear demonstration of how he sees the members and staff of the house"
To lend credence to his lies, Okiyi Kalu cited the joke that took place during Ikpeazu's tenure as an example. In citing the said example, he wrote
"I recall that while then Governor Okezie Ikpeazu who normally communicates directly with the house through letters signed personally by him was battling with COVID-19, a letter signed by then Chief of Staff to the Governor was received by the 7th House of Assembly led by Rt Hon Chinedum Orji, and the house vehemently asserted her independence and protocol to reject the letter. They cited disrespect and breach of official communication protocols as basis to reject the communication and the letter had to be withdrawn until the proper thing was done".
I had to read again to be sure that the piece was actually written by Okiyi Kalu, a former commissioner who once held brief for a government. No, this is both hilarious and pedestrian.
Before I could finish reading and laughing, the former Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and John Okiyi Kalu 's senior colleague in the same former government, Prof-acb Agbazuere who was more involved and better informed than Kalu, swiftly commented thus "
"What Gov. Ikpeazu did then was his choice and to please those who didn't want me appointed as Chief of Staff in the first place. Before my case, the SSG and other Chief of Staff were writing to the House to communicate governor's appointments for the house approval.The Clerk of the House also writes to the governor. Governor Alex Oti and the Attorney General are not wrong at all. The governor may, in his discretion, assign any responsibility of the business of government to the Dgov, Commissioners and others. See section 193 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)".
Prof. Agbazuere didn't just educate Okiyi Kalu with reference to the relevant constitutional provisions, which Kalu had no reasons not to know if he didn't see opposition as the joke of the drunk, but Prof. Agbazuere also halted the lies Kalu told about what transpired under Ikpeazu, by putting the records straight and making specific reference to previous letters.
While no honest person should use the failed Ikpeazu government as an excuse to do what is wrong, it's however insulting that Kalu would insist in being an audacious liar who ignorantly thinks that by calling the Governor an emperor and the Speaker, a Puppet, he would be able to convince unsuspecting members of the public that he's pursuing a just cause.
Kalu has since activated his silent mode, possibly meditating on the next lie to tell after he must have recovered from Prof. Agbazuere's below-the-belt uppercut.
In the same piece, Kalu repeated the same misleading lie he had earlier told the public about Governor Otti borrowing the sum of 145 billion naira; a lie we had earlier challenged him and his co-travellers to substantiate, but they couldn't.
While we will not allow yesterday's oppressors deceive our people and pretend to be today's Saviours, we would still not dedicate useful energy every day responding to well fabricated and rehearsed mumbo-jumbo from those who once reduced Abia to an object of comedy skits, because there are more important issues of governance to face, than responding to those who have chosen to be busy doing nothing.
We had been in opposition and we are in a better position to understand PDP's strategy and mindset, having dealt with them over the years. We will not waste time responding to every thrash which this faction of PDP churns out, knowing very well that they are geared towards causing distraction and disaffection.
Finally, it's not hidden that Okiyi Kalu who jumped from one media station to another defending the anti people policies of the horrendous former PDP led-government, nurses an Incurable malice and hate against the present government, and would feel fulfilled seeing the Executive and Legislative arms of Abia State Government go to war. Unfortunately, the inability of his wish to come to accomplishment has seen him resort to castigating the two arms with so much anger and aggression, but what can we do to this our "Brother Bernard", except to urge him to "Wipe His Tears, Because Help Is Here At Last"
Ferdinand Ekeoma
Special Adviser to the Governor
Media and Publicity
June 25,2024.
