Kelechi Igwe, deputy governor of Ebonyi, says Dave Umahi,
his principal, must run for president in the 2023 general election.
According to NAN, he stated this on Tuesday, when he led
members of the state executive council on a visit to Umahi, governor of Ebonyi,
in his hometown at Uburu, Ohaozara local government area (LGA).
Umahi defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to
the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November, citing “injustice”.
Although there had been speculations that Umahi defected
over plans to contest the presidency if the ticket is zoned to the south-east,
the Ebonyi governor denied that his decision was based on the 2023 presidential
election.
“Why am I moving to
APC? Some people said I was promised this and that but I tell you, there is no
such discussion. APC never promised me any position, they never promised
south-east any position. There was no such discussion. However, I offered this
movement as a protest to the injustice being done to south-east by the PDP
since 1998 till date,” Umahi had said.
His defection was trailed by disquiet within the PDP as the
state caucus of the national assembly distanced itself from the action.
Igwe, who thanked the governor for his support and
encouragement, said the council members will maintain their loyalty to his
administration.
“This particular
visit is unique because it is the first time since our participation in
government that we are determining as a people to change the political gear,”
NAN quoted Igwe as saying.
“When you announced that it was time to move on, a lot of us
were foot-dragging, wanting to make consultations but at the end, decided to
move with you. I must confess that some of us didn’t like the APC but decided
to join it because of you. So, we are declaring that you must contest the 2023
presidential election.”
In his remarks, the governor tasked the council to remain
steadfast in their support for the All Progressive Congress (APC), adding that
the party provides a platform for the Igbo people to evaluate themselves
properly.
“When you are here and there, they will not take you
seriously. People feel they can wake up and stab others at the back, forgetting
that things do not work that way and people have different destinies,” he said.
“Count all those who
betrayed us since 2015 and you will discover that they have never found their
feet. People want to attempt what others have done and succeeded but God has
brought all of us to decide their fate.”
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com