Barely 24 hours to his official admission into the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode’s claim that he played role in defection of three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to the party has been busted.
Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, one of the three governors he claimed to have played a role in bringing to APC, countered his claim, during an appearance on Channels Television Sunrise Daily programme on Friday.
The DEFENDER recalls that Fani-Kayode had claimed that he played a vital role in the defection of Governors Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, and David Umahi of Ebonyi to the the governing party, but Umahi said he lied in his own case just like in the case of other two governors.
Umahi, the South East Governors Forum chairman, faulted Femi Fani-Kayode, saying he did not play any role in his defection to the APC.
He urged him to withdraw the statement, noting that he considers it an insult.
“I think he needs to withdraw that statement, he’s my good friend but, it was an insult on my person and the other governors.
“The man did not know when I moved, but incidentally he visited me and we discussed, and he said he was coming to join me with the other governors to declare.
“How will somebody in the PDP be instrumental to my moving? A whole governor of the state. Not even a small governor, an experienced governor. He has to withdraw the statement.
“He was never part of any discussion of my movement. I moved South-East to the centre of administration. I moved to close the gap between the centre and South-East, which our forefathers like Nnamdi Azikiwe fought for.
“So for somebody to come and say that a whole chairman of South-East Governors Forum, he was instrumental to that, was an insult to my person and with all due respect, he has to withdraw the statement.
“He remains my friend and a good one for that matter but he played no role in my movement and I am sure he didn’t play any role in the movement of others,” Umahi said.
