The Senator representing Abia Central, Chief Theodore Orji, has charged the Abia State House of Assembly to make the Abia Charter of Equity a law in the state.

The immediate past governor said legalising the document would give it greater weight than applying it as a moral instrument.

Orji spoke in Umuahia last Friday during the grand finale of the Correspondents Chapel of Abia State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Week held at Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre, Umuahia where he was honoured as Equity Hero of Abia.

The theme of the week was “The Imperatives of Equity and Fairness as Initiated and Implemented by the T.A. Orji Administration”.

The Abia Charter of Equity is a document produced by the founding fathers of Abia State upon its creation to regulate equitable distribution of political offices among the senatorial zones of the state.

Since 1991 when the document was produced, it has never been strictly applied until the 2015 general elections when the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made it official that it was zoning the governorship slot to Abia South, as Abia North and Central had produced governors under the current democratic dispensation.

Orji, represented by his Media aide, Don Norman Obinna, denied allegations that he zoned the governorship slot to Abia South because of his senatorial ambition, insisting that it was for equity to prevail.

He listed his three major achievements while in power to include equity, security and abolition of idolatry in the state's political landscape.

He maintained that if the Abia Charter of Equity was passed into law, it would become binding on all Abians and would be applied legally.

Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Eziuche Ubani, noted that Abia was in transition.

“Most people feel that Abia is not where it ought to be. This informs the determination of the present government to succeed despite distractions,” said the former lawmaker who represented Obingwa/Osisioma/Ugwunagbo federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

Ubani, who is currently the Commissioner for Works in Abia assured that “no matter what, Abia must move forward.” He stressed that peace was fundamental to progress in the state.

He commended Correspondents practising in the state for being neutral in the political crises rocking the state.

The renowned journalist said: “You (Correspondents) are doing a difficult job here. From the 2015 elections and how contentious and controversial it has been, politicians do not say these our colleagues are making this case worse.”

“NUJ in Abia is vibrant. One thing is remarkable, that is your commitment to professionalism and sticking to ethics of the profession,” he added.

Another veteran journalist, Chief Emeka Inyama, who is the chairman of Abia Warriors Football Club of Umuahia, commended the Correspondents Chapel for organising a successful Press Week, the first ever by the Chapel.

The event was graced by a media aide to the governor, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue.

•Photo shows Senator Theodore Orji.

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