By KEMI KASUMU
“Today we welcome a true Buharist and one of Nigeria’s best Governors to the All progressive Congress – APC”, supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari has said.
This was said Tuesday following official declaration for the APC by the Ebonyi State governor and now long ally of the President, who reportedly said: “I give the credit for all developments under me in Ebonyi State to President Muhammadu Buhari”.
Among Buharists, who posted their comments about the governor’s defection was Dr. Dandy Eruogu, who said: “Most of the Federal Roads in my state were done between 2015 and now.
“President Muhammadu Buhari is working. We’ve been shouting it and they’ve come to reality now,” he said.
In the meantime, the Chairman of the South East Governor’s Forum, Governor David Umahi, has confirmed his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he had no regret taking the decision.
Umahi who confirmed his defection to journalists at a press briefing in his office in Abakaliki on Tuesday, however denied reports that he left the the PDP because he was denied the presidential ticket of the party.
The Governor also debunked insinuations that he left the PDP to pick the APC presidential ticket, stressing that the APC has not zoned it’s presidential ticket to the South East for the 2023 general elections.
He insisted that he moved to the APC to protest the injustice and marginalization of the South East zone by the People’s Democratic party for over two decades after the formation of the party.
Umahi added that he has no plan to contest any elective position in 2023 , stressing that that he may quit politics at the expiration of his tenure as governor.
He emphasised that his interest was only to ensure that the zone was properly recognized and reiterated into the mainstream of the nation’s politics.
The Governor further accused PDP leaders of treating him with so much distrust and suspicion because he refused to insult and attack president Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him ”i didn’t leave PDP because they refused to give me the party’s presidential ticket. I never sought for the party’s ticket, and anybody who is saying that is only being mischievous.
“Even if Anybody promises you a presidential ticket, how does it work when over 800,000 delegates will be electing the person?.Such promise can not happen within ten or twenty people. So, People are just being mischievous about it. The state House of Assembly in their letter to the PDP listed more qualified People in PDP that myself from the South East.”
On why he is moving to APC, Governor Umahi said: “Some people said I was promised this and that. But the truth is that there was no such discussion. APC never promised me any position. And APC has not promised the South East any position; there was no such discussion yet.
“However ,I offered this movement as a protest for the injustice being done to the South East by the PDP”.
