Rbonyi State Governor, David Umahi, on Thursday , finally defected to the All Progressives Congress, putting an end to weeks of speculation.
However, the decision did not sit well with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who warned Umahi not to allow his alleged quest to become Nigeria ’s President to destroy the South-East zone politically .
This was just as indications emerged that about 10 members of the National Assembly from the South- East zone elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party might dump the party for the APC.
Speaking during his formal defection to the APC at the Ecumenical Centre, Abakaliki , the Ebonyi State capital , Umahi, who thanked the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd.) for playing a vital role in the development of the state , stated that it was time for the state to fully get involved in the politics of the centre so as to benefit from the dividends of democracy .
He said he was moving to the APC with all the state executive council members, chairmen of the 13 local government areas, liaison officers , board members, political appointees and coordinators , among others .
The governor had during an interaction with journalists, on Tuesday , said he was leaving the PDP because of injustice , noting that he could not be part of a system where fairness, justice and equity were not taken seriously.
A visibly happy Umahi said on Thursday, “It is time to go . We have dwelt so much in one political party and it is better to go to the centre. We want to appreciate Mr President, who has helped us to develop Ebonyi State. The help from the President has transformed the state .
“ We want to thank the national leaders of the party, the governors , my deputy, my exco members , the state House of Assembly members and the Ebonyi people. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for following me. Thank you for standing by me.
“ My National Assembly members are my children . They are looking for something. When they get it , they will soon come back . Do not castigate them. We have three members of the Elders ’ Council , do not castigate them. They are my children. Do not castigate them. They will come back . We are together .
“ This is a new house that is built on God. It will accommodate all of us . I have dissolved the Elders ’ Council to accommodate our brothers and sisters who are coming from the APC.
“ In the South- East, we have to move to the centre. We are tired of empty promises. We want action now. Today, as my deputy has said, we have moved to the APC. The governor and the deputy governor united, together with 106 exco members; 1 , 200 appointees made up of executive assistants , senior executive assistants and technical assistants ; and 374 liaison officers are with me on this movement.
“ We have 400 appointees into boards and commissions, 506 management committee members, 130 supervisors , all local government area chairmen and all the party chairmen and the legislators. We are all in agreement on this movement. ”
In his remarks , the Chairman , Caretaker/ Extra- Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee, APC, Mia Mala Buni , who applauded Umahi for taking the bold step of defecting to the party, added that his action would pave the way for more democracy dividends for the people of the state .
He said Ebonyi people would benefit more from Federal Government schemes like the Anchor Borrowers ’ programme, among others .
“ Ebonyi is now closer to the centre and as such , will benefit more as an APC state in the South -East zone ,” Buni stated .

Don’t allow your presidency ambition to destroy S ’ East, Wike tells Umahi

Reacting to the Ebonyi State governor’ s defection , Wike said while no one could deny Umahi the right to pursue his political aspiration , he should be mindful of the political future of the South- East region.
Wike, who stated this during a live television programme monitored by one of our correspondents and later through a statement by his media aide , Kelvin Ebiri , said Umahi had shown himself as an ungrateful man for saying he left PDP to protest alleged injustice the party had meted out to the South-East region since 1999 .
Wike stated , “ Before the PDP left office, the South -East had Senate Presidents. It had the national chairman of the party and Secretary to the Government of the Federation . It had the Minister of Finance . Now, tell me what the APC has given to the people of the South- East since 2015 – Minister of Labour, Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“ Three senators from his ( Umahi’ s) state said they have seen the need for the South- East to produce the President. However, it is not the way their governor is going about it. This is not a personal thing. Your ambition should not destroy the entire South- East. ”
The Rivers State governor alleged that one reason why Umahi was unhappy with the PDP was because Peter Obi was chosen as Atiku Abubakar ’s running mate in 2019 .
He said, “When we ( PDP) had the 2018 convention that produced our presidential candidate , Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he consulted widely and came up with Peter Obi as his running mate ; Umahi was livid because he wanted to choose or be the vice- president.

“ You don’ t choose who will be the vice- presidential candidate of anybody . Umahi was livid . What disturbs me is why do you think that if anything comes to the South- East it must be you ? Why do you think so ?”
He said Umahi could not talk of injustice when he allegedly practices injustice against the region by singlehandedly installing his two brothers as the Zonal Vice Chairman of the PDP and Deputy State Chairman of the party.
“ If he believes in equity and justice, will he be doing such ? It is because he has planted these people that the state House of Assembly had the effrontery to give the National Working Committee an ultimatum to zone the presidency to the East. Where does such happen ? No other party has done any zoning. You can imagine the level of selfishness , ” Wike added.
He also described as untrue the claim by Umahi that he made the PDP what it is in the South- East as the only financier of all its activities, saying such a claim suggested that other governors from Anambra, Abia and Enugu states were not contributing anything to ensure the success of the party in the zone.
“ I know it’ s not correct. If not for Pius Ayim who impressed it on former governor Elechi, would Umahi have become a governor? So, he can ’t say he ’ s the one who has built the PDP.
Wike dismissed the allegation against him by Umahi that he imposed on the PDP Prince Uche Secondus as its national chairman , describing the allegation as spurious, adding that evidence abound that Secondus was elected at the national convention of the party.

10 NASS members from South- East to dump PDP

It was gathered that 10 members of the National Assembly from the South- East zone elected on the platform of the PDP were set to dump the party for the APC.
A senior legislative aide to one of the ranking senators from the region, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity , said seven senators and three members of the House of Representatives were making final arrangements with the ruling APC to dump the opposition party.
Although the source did not disclose when the federal lawmakers would dump the PDP , he , however , maintained that “ as soon as consultations are concluded, they will announce their formal defection . They are consulting with their governors and other stakeholders in their various states .”
“ You know , anybody who wants to contest any political position in 2023 has to move to the party that will guarantee their political future . Again , you have to stay in a party like the APC for a period of time before you can be allowed to contest any political position. So , those who are defecting now want to be on the ground and be part of decision -making at the fullness of time ,” the source added .
Meanwhile , a political pressure group, the Nigeria Presidential Project 2023 , has appealed to the three remaining governors in the South- East to join Umahi to defect to the APC.
The NPP, in a statement signed by its Director, Media and Publicity , Tony Nwachukwu , congratulated Umahi for taking the bold step of dumping the PDP to embrace the APC.
He called on governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Willie Obiano of Anambra and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia to follow the example of their Ebonyi counterpart without further delay.
The statement read in part, “ We congratulate David Umahi, the Chairman , South- East Governors’ Forum and governor of Ebonyi State , for relinquishing his membership of the PDP to join the APC.
“ This positive legacy move by Umahi has justified our objective as a political advocacy group championing the rotation and zoning of presidential candidates to the South- East geopolitical zone .
“ We , therefore, call on the governors of Anambra , Abia and Enugu states to follow the direction of their Chairman , David Umahi, without further delay or wait. ”

Cc Myynd44

https://punchng.com/again-wike-attacks-umahi-as-apc-welcomes-gov-expects-others/

Wike needs a plastic tear bucket

It is well with our political rulers.

Wike shall forever regret the day he opened his mouth and said he's not Igbo.

Death to PDP!

OfficialAwol:
Wike shall forever regret the day he opened his mouth and said he's not Igbo.

Death to PDP!

Umahi is the man wey sabi. It's over for PDP in Igboland. Every Igbo Governor should leave PDP for that goat wike.

obviously Wike is in sever pain dt PDP is loosing Southeast yet he is not from there

OfficialAwol:
Wike shall forever regret the day he opened his mouth and said he's not Igbo.

Death to PDP!

I don't understand the they wike Start to cear for nndi Igbo. What is his business whit Igbo.

Xscape1993:
It will not be well with our political rulers.

Fixed.

Wike should mind his business after all he is not an igbo man

Why can't Wike just mind his business?

He seems to be taking this defection very hard.
Or is he the only one entitled to scheming?

Just like Tinubu also believes he is the only one in APC entitled to scheme while the rest watch him.

Nwike

Uteghe:
Wike needs a plastic tear bucket

Wike is a narcissist who thinks the world revolves around him. Just look at how he has been crying since like a kid who's lollypop was taken away from him.

Useless thug of a governor

Must Wike always behave like touts?

Count your losses and move on bro

What concerns wike and umahi? What concerns south south and south east? What concerns Ikwerre and Igbo?

The thing pain wike gan, now 2023 political calculation has been changed by umahi, pdp have to go back to drawing board

According to Wike, “before PDP left office, south east had minister of finance”...I think the man got it wrong here.

Who was the minister of finance?