BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
GOVERNOR David Umahi of Ebonyi State has debunked the rumour that he dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the ruling All Progressives Congress because he was promised the APC’s 2023 Presidential ticket.
Instead, the Governor claimed on Tuesday that he dumped the party, on which platform he had served as Governor for two terms, because of the injustice he said the party had done to the South East since 1998.
Umahi, who made the disclosure during a media chat with journalists at the New Government House, Abakaliki, added that he was moving to the APC because he believed that the ruling party was more open to working with the South East region than the PDP.
The Governor insisted that his defection was not as a result of the PDP not zoning the Presidency to South East or to him as being speculated in some quarters.
He stressed that he would continue to agitate for the interest of the South East in or out of office, adding that he had decided to become the sacrificial lamb that would be crucified for the interest and good of the South East as a zone.
The Point had reported that Umahi reportedly told those who were not comfortable with his decision to resign at a meeting with Exco members, where he initially made his decision to join the APC public.
“Why am I moving to APC? Some people said I was promised this and that but I tell you, there is no such discussion. APC never promised me any position; they never promised South East any position, there was no such discussion, however I offered this movement as a protest to the injustice being done to South East by the PDP since 1998 till date,” he explained.
He said, “Let me clear the air and state that I never sought for the ticket of PDP Presidency and I will not. Whoever that said that I moved to APC because they refused to zone the ticket to me is being very mischievous. Because even if PDP promises me, an individual, a presidential ticket, how does it work?
“It is expected that well over 8,000 delegates will elect the person and such promise can not happen without more than 10 or 20 people. People are being very mischievous but I tell you, there are a lot of prominent people from South East that can take the slot of PDP.”
He noted that between 1999 till date, the South East region had continued to support the PDP, yet the party had not deemed it fit to zone the Presidency to the region, adding that there were credible and qualified personalities in the zone that were competent to rule the country.
The Ebonyi State Governor added that he was not driven by selfish reasons, stressing that the PDP had yet to give reasons the South East should not get the slot of Presidency.
