PDP Governors Speak On Umahi’s ‘Defection’ To APC

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has revealed that he remains a faithful member of the Peoples Democratic Party, this is after he made a claim on Monday that he belongs to PDP and the All Progressives Congress.

The PDP governor denied the reports making rounds on the internet of his plan to defect to the APC.

PDP Governors Forum while reacting to Umahi’s earlier statement stated that it was incorrect that Umahi belongs to both PDP and the APC.

Recall that Umahi who hosted the people of Ishielu and Onicha Local Government Areas on Monday stated that he belongs to both PDP and the APC.

A further report had it that he said so while warning members of the party over their plan to join APC.

Umahi was quoted saying, “Stay in one place. Don’t run from here to here and from there to here. E no make sense. If you say you dey there (APC), know I am already there. If you go to APC, I am an APC member. If you go to the PDP, I am there.”

“I am the only person that does anti-party and nothing will happen.”

“Any other person that does anti-party is gone. So, I am representing you in the APC while you all stay in the PDP. If you like, go and write it on social media.”

Umahi while reacting to the statement credited to him stated that he was misquoted as there was no way he could have made such a statement.

The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Uchenna Orji, who released a statement on behalf of the governor stated that the Umahi was misrepresented by some mischief-makers.

Orji in the statement wrote, “In their desperate attempt to cause disaffection against the state government, they mischievously misrepresented the governor as saying ‘I am the only governor that belongs to the PDP and the APC.”

“This blackmail is nothing but a cheap and childish fabrication that is irritably displeasing to the sensibilities of the ordinary man.”

“It is a common sense that no party member in Nigeria can belong to another political party at a time.”

“The governor never said that he belongs to the APC.”

“He is unshakable, a PDP chieftain and has been a great party man, whose track records as historic state party chairman and currently the PDP governor and leader in Ebonyi State are known and admired by people of goodwill.”

“The governor only said in the course of his speech that those who are in the habit of hiding under partisan politics to peddle lies against the state government were on a frolic of their own as people of different political colourations including the APC know the virtues of his administration.”

The Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Osaro Onaiwu, in a statement, noted that the Ebonyi State governor was misquoted.

He described the statement credited to Umahi as a lie aimed at damaging his image and put a smile on the faces of the sponsors of the publication.

Onaiwu said, “This is about 2023, but may we hasten to add that there are more civilised and cultured ways to go about it.”

“Yes, he like every other key player in the political arena, may have his ambitions and dreams at the end of his current service, aspire for any of the offices at the Presidential Villa, which of course he is constitutionally fit and qualified for, but that will certainly be on the platform of the PDP.”

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