Former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, says his successor, Governor T. A. Orji, should stop hiding in the shadows of his aides and declare an open confrontation with him if he believes he has the capacity for such a fight.

Kalu, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, said events in the last few days have shown that Orji lacks what it takes to be a man by hiding behind others to effect decisions he took with his kitchen cabinet members.

Speaking on the recent withdrawal of his certificate by the Abia State University Kalu said: “Isn’t it funny that Orji denies virtually every action he takes, heaping the blame on others? Or how else do you describe the statement credited to the commissioner for information in Abia State, Dr. Eze Chikamnayo, that the state government was not behind the withdrawal of the Bachelor’s degree certificate of His Excellency (Kalu) by the Abia State University?Or how will you classify the statement by Orji’s Chief Press Secretary, Ugochukwu Emezuo, days before the withdrawal of the certificate, that Dr. Kalu has no certificate from ABSU? If truly the state government was not involved, how did Emezuo get wind of the information days before the Senate of the university even sat?”

He said Orji’s denial of the obvious amounted to not having the courage to fight, adding that, “Orji has forgotten the saying that any man who hides behind one finger is only deceiving himself .”