Don’t destroy South East because of your ambition, Wike tells Umahi

Rivers State Governor,  Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has advised Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, not to allow his quest to become president of Nigeria, destroy the South East politically.

Governor Wike, said while no one will deny  Umahi the right to pursue his political aspiration, which is the primary reason  for his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), he should be mindful of the political future of the  South-Eastern region.

The Rivers State governor who stated this in a Live television programme on Thursday, said  Umahi has shown himself as an ungrateful man for insisting that he left PDP to protest the injustice the party meted to the South-Eastern region since 1999.

Governor Wike stated that one reason why  Gov. Umahi is unhappy with PDP, was because Peter Obi, was chosen to run the joint Presidential ticket with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2019.

“When we had the 2018 convention that produced our Presidential Candidate then, the Waziri of Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as  presidential candidate, he consulted widely, and came up with Peter Obi, to be his Vice, Umahi was livid because he wanted to produce or he wanted to be Vice President. You don’t chose who would be the Vice Presidential candidate of anybody. Umahi was livid. What disturbs me, why do you think that if anything comes to South-East it must be you. Why do you think so”?

Governor Wike pointed out that Umahi cannot talk of injustice when he practices injustice against the South East zone by single handily installing  his two younger brothers; one as the Zonal Vice Chairman of PDP and the other as the 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 such effrontery to give the National Working Committee (NWC) ultimatum to zone presidency to the East. Where does such thing happen? No other party has done any zoning. You can imagine the level of selfishness. “

He also described as untrue the claim by Umahi that he made PDP what it is in the South East zone as the only financier of all of its activities. Such claim, according to Governor Wike suggests that other governors of Anambra,  Abia,  and Enugu States are not anything to ensure the success of the party in the zone.

“I know it’s not correct. If not for Pius Ayim that impressed it on former Governor Elechi, would Umahi have become governor? So,  he can’t say he’s the one who has built PDP.

“The party made him what he is and if he denies it,  it only tells you the kind of person he is. What’s even his contribution at the national level of the party to support his claim.  Where was he when people like Alex Ekwueme fought General Abacha and built the party. I distaste such arrogance”,  he asserted.

Governor Wike, dismissed the allegation against him by Umahi that he is a dictator who imposed, Uche Secondus as  PDP National Chairman and his will on the party. He described the allegation as  spurious as evidence abound that Secondus was elected at the National Convention of the PDP.

The governor accused his Ebonyi State counterpart of being treacherous. To buttress this, he stated that when the caucus of the party decided that Kingsley Chinda, should be elected Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,   Umahi told his State Reps to work against it.

“I know it’s not correct. If not for Pius Ayim that impressed it on former Governor Elechi, would Umahi have become governor? So,  he can’t say he’s the one who has built PDP.

“The party made him what he is and if he denies it,  it only tells you the kind of person he is. What’s even his contribution at the national level of the party to support his claim.  Where was he when people like Alex Ekwueme fought General Abacha and built the party. I distaste such arrogance”,  he asserted.

Governor Wike, dismissed the allegation against him by Umahi that he is a dictator who imposed, Uche Secondus as  PDP National Chairman and his will on the party. He described the allegation as  spurious as evidence abound that Secondus was elected at the National Convention of the PDP.

The governor accused his Ebonyi State counterpart of being treacherous. To buttress this, he stated that when the caucus of the party decided that Kingsley Chinda, should be elected Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,   Umahi told his State Reps to work against it.