BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, has alleged that his main challenger for the Ebonyi South Senatorial District All Progressives Congress ticket, Ann Agom-Eze, demanded N20 million from him.
Disclosing this in an interview on a national television on Friday, Umahi claimed that Agom-Eze was never the candidate of the APC for the senatorial seat at any point in time and had no grounds to challenge his emergence as the APC candidate.
Chronicling the events, Umahi said, “There was a primary election of APC for Ebonyi South senatorial zone on May 28th, upon which Ann Agom-Eze came second by winning two votes and Austin Umahi won by 283 votes. By the Electoral Act, Austin became the candidate of the party.
“There was never at any time that Agom-Eze became the candidate of the party.
“Let me say this, if it is said that some men don’t have honour, shouldn’t women also have honour?
“Ann sent me a text message when she came to negotiate for N20 million that I should give to her. I didn’t say no.
“She sent me a WhatsApp message acknowledging that she withdrew on her own without any influence. What was her withdrawal for? There is no provision for the second runner-up in the primary election in the 2022 Electoral Act to withdraw. She withdrew under oath from contesting any further primaries of APC in Ebonyi State.
“There were about five events that would have afforded Agom-Eze the opportunity to challenge… she is working for the PDP candidate because in all these things she has not been very close to being the candidate of the party. I have not used my position unduly at all,” Umahi further stated.
