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Claim: Theodore Orji threatens Abia State Government with a bloodbath if his ex-governor pension is stopped.
Verdict: The claim that Theodore Orji threatened the Abia state government if his pension as an ex-governor was stopped is misleading. No such threat was evident in his response to the repealed law.
Full Text
In recent weeks, Nigeria’s ex-governors’ pensions have sparked public debate on social posts, particularly after the current Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, signed the Abia State of Nigeria Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Repeal Law of 2024. This law, sponsored by the Majority Leader and member of Arochukwu State Constituency, Okoro Kalu, has generated controversy.
Amidst this discourse, an online news blog, Igbo Times Magazine, published a report on March 20, 2024, suggesting that Theodore Orji, a former governor of Abia State, threatened to incite unrest in the state if the incumbent administration led by Alex Otti discontinued his pension as a former governor.
The report, also shared on the blog’s Facebook page, garnered reactions from online users, with comments expressing varying sentiments towards the purported threat.
The Facebook post reads:
“Just In: If My Pension Is Stopped, There Will Be a Bloodbath In Abia State, I Will Make Otti’s Government Unbearable For Him – TA Orji Reportedly Vows.
TA Orji intends to make the government of his successor, Dr Alex Otti, unbearable if his pension is halted.”
Some comments under the post read, “This same man is supposedly a senator. Imagine how bitter he sounds,” from Facebook User Jude Chiemeke, and “He is not serious with all the money he stole from Abia state and the one he is stealing at the Senate; he still is not satisfied,” from Comr Malachi Chinazaekpere Usulor.
Meanwhile, others argued the post’s authenticity, tagging it fake: Ada Egbu Ezenwa wrote, “Fake news”, while Johnathan Udemba commented, “Very stupid page. From fake Pete Edochie’s page to Igbo Times Magazine. Always lying and scamming people. You will be caught soon.”
These comments suggest scepticism among social media users regarding the source’s credibility, Igbo Times Magazine. These doubts raise questions about the reliability of the information presented in the post, further underscoring the need for thorough fact-checking and verification.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search on the claim and found no credible news report supporting it.
Further search showed that Mr Orji did respond to the law repealing ex-governors’ pensions. However, his reaction did not align with the claim.
As reported by Punch and Vanguard newspapers through his former Chief Liaison Officer, Ifeanyi Umere, he did not threaten to disrupt governance in Abia state should the pension payments be halted. Rather, he denied receiving any pension from the Abia State Government since his tenure as governor ended in 2015.
“Throughout as the governor of Abia for eight years, T. A. Orji has not received any penny as pension,” he told Punch, calling on the state Assembly to come out with any evidence available to them.
“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,” Mr Umere told Vanguard.
Other former governors and deputies of the state, including Orji Uzor Kalu and Okezie Ikpeazu, have also frowned at the law, stating that none of them had been receiving any pensions.
Efforts to reach Umere for further clarification via his Facebook page, Ifeanyi Umere, were unsuccessful.
Conclusion
Claims that T.A. Orji threatens to make Otti’s government unbearable are misleading. Our investigation reveals that T.A. Orji has only indicated his non-receipt of any pension since leaving office; there was no indication of threats.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Bridge Radio 98.7FM, Asaba, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
