Governor Umahi’s purported defection to APC: To be or not to be?
By Charles Onyekwere
Speculations about the purported defection of the Ebonyi State governor and Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum (SEGF), Engr. David Umahi, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to generate huge concerns and panic in the fold of his political group, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mainstream and social media circles have been abuzz with the matter while the man in the eye of the storm has kept everyone guessing. Recently, the member representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinedu Ogah, congratulated the governor for finally joining the APC.
Ogah, contributing to speculations about the governor’s purported defection to the APC, said, “We don’t need division in the South-East, we need unity in the South-East, we need to be part of the central government.
We can’t continue to be in opposition,” he stated. Ogah is the only APC National Assembly member of Ebonyi State extraction and belongs to the party’s caucus in the SouthEast Zone.
The lawmaker revealed that Umahi’s defection was perfected after his meeting with critical stakeholders and leaders of APC, including President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “Yes, Governor Umahi’s defection to our great party, APC, is a step in the right direction. We cannot afford to remain in opposition. We must join the ruling party to continue to reap the dividends of democracy.
“I am calling on other governors in the South-East to toe the line of Governor Umahi and join APC.
We have to be at the centre, we have to join the mainstream politics for overall development of our zone and the country in general. President Muhammadu Buhari has done well.
Everybody should join the APC to encourage him,” Ogah noted. But the governor in a press statement through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Francis Nwaze, in Abakaliki, denied his purported defection to APC.
The statement read, “My attention has been drawn to the news making the round in some quarters of the media, alleging that the governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The news is a product of a figment of imagination on the part of the carriers as Governor Umahi was, is, and is still flying the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“It is however, difficult to observe how people are easily persuaded to believe in fake dummies in the name of rumours.
If for any reason, Governor Umahi wishes to leave Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it will be officially communicated and can never be a product from rumour mongers.”
When contacted for further reaction, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barr. Uchenna Orji, said he could not react to the defection as he did not see Ogah’s statement. Umahi, sources privy to the development said, was insisting that the 2023 presidential ticket of the PDP be zoned to the South-East, in the spirit of equity and fairness or he would ditch the party, but powerbrokers in the party would appear to have a different plan.
Umahi had reportedly on arrival from Abuja recently, held separate meetings with members of the State House of Assembly, council chairmen, state executive of PDP, among others, and briefed them on his “imminent” defection to APC.
Subsequently, members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly had during that week held a press conference at which they gave the national leadership of PDP seven days ultimatum to convoke the NEC meeting of the party and zone the 2023 presidential position of the party to the South-East zone, warning of “dire consequences” if the party failed to comply with the demand.
The Ebonyi State Working Committee (SWC), of PDP 24 hours later on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, also, held a press conference and gave the PDP national leadership one week to convoke the NEC meeting and zone the 2023 presidential slot of the party to the South-East, warning that no other arrangement would be acceptable.
Asked why the demand was coming so early, the Ebonyi State PDP Chairman, Barr. Onyekachi Nwebonyi, said the body language of the powers-that-be in PDP had shown they had no plans to give the presidential position of the party to the zone.
Impeccable sources told our correspondent that the development is giving the PDP hierarchy serious concerns, causing the party leaders to go overdrive in their last-ditch effort to avert Umahi’s defection from the party.
The party, according to sources, believes that Umahi’s defection, if allowed to happen, would result in more crises in the party, as it could cost them the support of the people of the South-East, who were already feeling marginalised in the Nigerian State.
It was further gathered that various hierarchies in the PDP, including the BoT, had been begging Umahi not to ditch the party, since they got the hint of his impending defection to the APC.
The party, it was gathered, has sent a delegation to Ebonyi State to beg Umahi to rescind his decision.
Also, governors elected on the platform of the PDP have waded into the matter and reportedly held a virtual meeting with Gov Umahi during which they begged him not to dump the party.
A source further disclosed that sequel to the development, the PDP leadership had promised to zone the presidency to the South-East, to retain Umahi in its fold. But, Umahi is yet to clear the air on his next political move.
All efforts by journalists early this week, to make him react to his alleged defection to the APC failed. Umahi, who chatted with journalists on different issues of interest, technically dodged questions about his alleged defection; and instead raised the PDP flag hanging beside his seat at the conference room before chanting the party’s slogan.
When The Daily Times contacted the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan on phone, he hung up immediately he was confronted with the question of the alleged defection plans of Umahi.
He did not reply to a text message later sent to his mobile line. The seven -day ultimatum issued by the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to the national leadership of the PDP has expired.
It would be recalled that on the19th October, 2020, the Speaker of the Ebonyi Sixth House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Francis Nwifuru, briefed journalists in Abakaliki and said that it was appropriate in the spirit of democracy, equity, justice and fairness that the position of the President be zoned to the South-East zone of the country come 2023.
The Daily Times findings revealed that the delay might be caused by the recent #EndSARS disturbances that crippled the socio-political, socio-economic activities across the entire country.
Several calls to the Chief Press Secretary to the Hon. Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mr. Leo Oketa, did not yield a positive result.
According to him, “On this note, we are giving our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seven days ultimatum to convoke the National Executive Committee of the party and zone the position of the Presidency to the South-East Zone, as the umpire body INEC has officially announced the date of the presidential elections.
Failure to adhere to these kinds of requests will cost our party heavily and we, the Honourable members of the Sixth Ebonyi State House of Assembly will leave no stone unturned in taking decisive actions to ensure that traditions and dividends of democracy are respected in our party.”
They warned that the party should not contemplate removing the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, as it was “customary that the zone (now the South) from where the National Chairman comes from produces the presidential candidate of the party.
If this advice is not adhered to, it will further divide and destabilise the party along sectional and regional lines.”
The Speaker had stated that the zone has presidential materials, people globally renowned, reliable, acceptable, tested and trusted enough to occupy the position of the President of Nigeria.
According to him, “Some of the personalities include persons like Peter Obi (Former PDP Vice Presidential Candidate in the 2019 elections and former governor of Anambra State), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim (former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation).
“Others include Sen. Ike Ekweremmadu (former three-time Deputy President of the Senate), Sen. Theodore Orji (former governor of Abia State), Achike Udenwa (former governor of Imo State) and a host of others.
So, we have qualified people who are very much available for this position. “We did not mention our governors not because they are not qualified, but these highly qualified persons are not holding positions currently and there are other eminent qualified Igbo leaders as well who are trusted, competent, capable and reliable.”
On the rumoured defection of the members of the State House of Assembly to the APC, Rt. Hon Nwifuru said that they were not defecting to any political party as the issue of defection had not arisen.
The Speaker further stated that since the inception of the present democracy, the zone had paid its due, having worked assiduously and massively voted for all the presidential candidates of the PDP.
The Daily Times gathered earlier that during the briefing, 23 out of 24 members of the House of Assembly were present, except the Deputy Speaker who was out of the country.
Irked by the crisis rocking the APC in Ebonyi State, some concerned stakeholders and elders have called on the National Caretaker Committee of the party led by Governor Mai Mala Buni to set up a caretaker committee for the party in the state.
At the moment, two factions of the party are at each other’s throats for the soul of the APC in the SouthEast state.
The stakeholders and elders of the party in Ebonyi State, who claimed not to belong to any of the two contending camps but were interested in restoring peace, order and sanity in the party, said only a caretaker committee would be able to effectively resolve the crisis.
According to the stakeholders, the fight for the soul of the party was between two groups led by Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology and Senator Julius Ucha, currently a member of the National Assembly Service Commission. The stakeholders noted that the “battle has left a very fragmented party open to manipulation by external forces, including opposition parties.”
The stakeholders also urged the National Caretaker Committee to allow the proposed membership registration at the state level to be handled by the caretaker committee.
The stakeholders further demanded that a “genuine peace meeting be convened by the party inviting all the aggrieved parties, just as “those who flouted the presidential and NEC directive on court cases be disciplined accordingly.”
Giving a brief background to the lingering crisis, the stakeholders noted that, “It was a known fact that before the last congress, the party had two chairmen, Ben Nwobasi, the congress elected Chairman who belongs to the Ucha group and Eze Nwachukwu Eze, the elected deputy and core loyalist to Onu, who claimed the Chairman was impeached by the working committee that subsequently mandated him to act.
“Expectedly, two parallel congresses were conducted by the Onu and Ucha led factions respectively.
While the Onu-led faction elected Eze Nwachukwu Eze as their Chairman, the Ucha-led faction elected Dr. Sylvester Nwambe.”
The stakeholders further stated that, “Nwambe went to court seeking to nullify the congress.
A state high court in Abakaliki presided over by Honourable Justice A.A. Nwigwe, present Chief Justice of Ebonyi State, on April 17, 2019 in Suit No. HAB/77/2018 nullified the APC state congress and some local government areas and wards held in the state, which technically means that the purported state executive led by Eze Nwachukwu Eze does not exist any longer.”
The APC stakeholders in Ebonyi State therefore regretted that, “In a desperate bid to cover up the truth and hoodwink the party to believe that all is well with the party, Eze called a meeting of some members of the party where he read a prepared speech that was adopted by those present.
It was not a peace meeting as people in the contending factions were neither present, represented nor had their grievances heard or addressed. However, the meeting on its own was illegal as Eze’s executive had been sacked by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
They said that the resolutions, communiqué and vote-ofconfidence passed at the meeting were non-events and called on the national leadership of the party and other members to discountenance any document emanating there-from.
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State leadership of the APC on Sunday said that the imminent defection of Umahi to the party would boost the South-East agitation for the 2023 presidency.
The party made this known in a communiqué issued at the end of a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abakaliki. The communiqué was read by Mr. Chaka Nweze, a former Council Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state.
The party said it was prepared to welcome and work with the governor, adding that, he had performed exceedingly well and deserved all the support he could get.
Addressing party members at the meeting, the former Senate Committee Chairman on Works, Senator Julius Ali Ucha, said the party in the South-East had made a big catch in the person of the governor. Ucha, who represented Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone between 2003 and 2011, added that the governor would soon make public his defection from the PDP to the opposition APC.
He noted that the governor had done well and had become one of the best governors in the country.
The party noted that they were ready to welcome the governor to the party and also ensure that the party produced the next governor of the state in 2023.
Speaking also, the former Senator who represented Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone, Chief Anthony Agbo, commended Umahi for taking the decision to join the APC, describing the move as decisive.
Agbo urged members of the party not to panic over the governor’s defection to the party, assuring them that his coming into the party would bring great fortunes to all members of the party.
He explained that Governor Umahi would team up with the governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, to reposition the party in the South-East.
“We need to really wait till we get to the bridge before we cross. We don’t have to jump the gun. I think it is premature to begin to discuss the issue,” he said. Before now, some notable APC stakeholders held a solidarity meeting as part of purported preparations to welcome Umahi to the fold.
READ ALSO: Dave Umahi explains why he’s dumping PDP for APC
The meeting, which was convened at the Abakaliki residence of the member representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency, Hon Chinedu Ogah, had in attendance notable personalities in the party including two former speakers of the House of Assembly, Rt. Honourables Augustine Nwankwegu and Christopher Omo lsu. Others included Hon. Peter Oge Ali, Prof. Michael Awoke, Dr. Anthony ltumo, Hon. Paul Okorie, Prof. Joseph Afiukwa and the representative of Engr. Edward Nkwegu, among others.
On his part, a former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Chief Abia Onyike, enjoined all party faithful to intensify efforts to unite the party across the entire polling units and wards to give the governor a befitting welcome.
