By Zara Nwachinemere, Abakaliki
The All Progressives Congress, (APC) Ebonyi State chapter, on Friday stated that the recent claim that Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi, was in desperate move to return to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) was not only fake but laughable.
A PDP chieftain in Abia State, Dr Isaac Nkole, in a media publication had claimed that Orji Uzor Kalu and David Umahi were making moves to return to PDP having discovered that they made the wrong decision by joining APC in the first place.
But In a statement by Ogbuatu Chidi Simbad, APC Publicity Secretary, Ebonyi State made available to journalists in Abakaliki, he noted that Umahi’s defection to APC did not come to him as stupefaction or for selfish enrichment, adding that the governor’s defection was a well-thought movement which was decided in the greater interest of Ebonyi State in particular and the Southeast in general.
The statement reads: “His Excellency saw the need to toe the line of the former nationalists like Late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik of Africa) and others from Southeast who had always believed in the politics of the centre, consequent upon his decision to take our dear state and Southeast to the grid of national politics.
“His Excellency as a father and leader of Southeast saw that the present and the future time of the zone is brighter and more promising in APC than the PDP in which the zone had partnered, put up with and worked for twenty years with nothing to show for it.
” Gov Umahi defected to APC in order to join hands with an Icon of Integrity, and a selfless leader President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR and other well meaning Nigerians in taking Nigeria to the next level. Under President Muhammadu Buhari’ s APC led government, every part of Southeast has benefitted in infrastructural development and the only way to appreciate Mr President is to join him in the next level transformation agenda, and that is the leading reason Gov Umahi defected to APC.
“It is on record that Chief Umahi has done exceedingly greater than his contemporaries as a governor in this dispensation. Ebonyi State has for last six years witnessed uncommon infrastructural development, human capital development and empowerment under the governor. Significantly, Ebonyi State has become a reference point of good governance under Chief Umahi.
” As the leader of Southeast, Gov Umahi has also demonstrated commitment, patriotism, extraordinary capacity and knowledgeability in the manner he pilots the affairs of the zone. To that effect, we warn that no one should dare distract the governor who is highly committed to providing quality leadership to Ebonyi people.
“Finally, we wish to state bodaciously that Gov Umahi has not, either in person, a representative or through a surrogate made and will never make any move to return to the Social Club known as PDP. He is at home in APC as the Ebonyi State Leader of the party for more than one year today. Members of the public should therefore disregard the misleading news as it is the figment of the imagination of the originator who lives in nothing but mischief making and illusionary disposition”.
