My decision to leave for APC is irrevocable, Ebonyi Gov tells PDP

*As Secondus, others failed to assure on zoning of Presidency to South East

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

President Muhammadu Buhari’s ally and Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi, has finally decided to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Congress (APC).

Umahi made this known to the national leadership of PDP in Abuja in Tuesday with a firm word that his decision to join the APC was irrevocable.

The performing governor believes that it is only APC that will protect the interest of South East in the 2023 elections and so that it is the better party for him to be, therefore.

According to a media report, Umahi spoke to members of the National Working Committee (NWC), who were led to a meeting with him by its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.

The PDP leaders were said to have tried in vain to convince the governor not to abandon the party.

Apart from Secondus, among those that were at the meeting at the Ebonyi Governor’s Lodge, Abuja were Deputy National Secretary, Agbo Emmanuel; National Organising Secretary, Austin Akobondu; Financial Secretary, Abdullahi Maibasira; National Women Leader, Mariya Waziri and Senator Sulieman Nazif.

The governor was said to be friendly when he received the PDP delegation, but stuck to his decision to leave the PDP when the issue came up.

It was gathered that the PDP delegation impressed it upon the governor that there was no need leaving the PDP for the APC, which they argued had become unpopular.

Sources at the meeting, however, reportedly said that the Governor Umahi was not convinced, insisting that the APC was planning to zone the 2023 Presidency to the South East.

He was said to have promised to stay in the PDP if the party could make a pronouncement that it would zone the Presidency to the same zone.

One of the sources said, “I think his (governor’s) mind was made up. We told him there was no need for him to abandon the party that had made him a deputy governor, state chairman of the party, two-time governor and all that. But he refused.

“He wanted us to unilaterally zone the office of the Presidency to his area. We cannot do that. Parties are not run that way. He told us he was leaving. That is what we got from him.’’

When contacted, Secondus was said to have confirmed that the party’s leadership met with Umahi.

He, however, refused to declare the details of the meeting, insisting that the meeting was on ‘‘national issues.’’

Umahi, who is believed to have been profoundly supported by President Buhari in the development of Ebonyi State, had long been rumoured planning defection into APC because of his romance with the President.  He denied until the latest final decision came by him.