Former Governor of Abia State and the immediate-past Senator who represented Abia Central district in the 9th Senate, Senator Theodore Orji, has flatly denied receiving any dime from Abia State Government as pension since his exit as Governor in 2015.
Senator Orji spoke exclusively with Vanguard on the heels of the recent abolition of the Abia State Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s Pensions Law by the State House of Assembly.
The Bill entitled:”H.A.B 11: The Abia State Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s Pensions Law Repeal Bill 2024″ was sponsored by the Majority Leader and member representing Arochukwu state constituency, Hon. Okoro Uchenna Kalu.
Speaking through his former Chief Liaison Officer, Hon. Ifeanyi Umere, Senator Orji, said nobody had paid him any pension as former Governor, adding that he has also never asked for it as a matter of morality since he moved to the Senate immediately after leaving office as Governor.
He said:”Since T. A Orji left office as Governor, he has not received any penny as pension.
” He transited from Governor to Senate and he made it a point of morality that he will not, and he didn’t ask for any pension or question anybody about it because he is not interested in it.”
The former Governor who noted that the House of Assembly has the constitutional powers to review any laws of the state, said he was not part of the scrapped pension law.
“The House of Assembly has the prerogative to periodically review the laws of the state. It’s in their powers to do so but nobody should link Senator Orji with the said pension law because nobody has paid him any pension after leaving office as Governor.
“Senator Orji has not received any pension as former Governor, and as a statesman he has not asked for any. He didn’t receive any pension from Okezie Ikpeazu and he didn’t pay anybody too.”
