Governors Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have been firing from all cylinders since the former dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Ebonyi governor maintained that he left the PDP in the interest of the South East, Wike countered that the action was in the selfish interest and ambition of Umahi to run for the presidency in 2023 on the platform of the APC.
Umahi, who had alleged injustice meted out to his zone for dumping the party under which he was state chairman, deputy governor and elected twice as governor.
However, Wike disagreed with Umahi, insisting the PDP has been fair to the South East, having produced senate presidents, deputy president of the Senate, deputy speaker, and chairmen of the party, among other lucrative positions and huge projects, and in the last presidential election, the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate.
Umahi debunked the allegation of selfish interest against him, saying that he meant well for the South East.
Wike a dictator – Umahi
I refuse to take issue with Wike because he is my friend, but Wike must know that he is a dictator. Wike must know that one person cannot be called a crowd and Wike must know that a lot of governors in PDP are very sad with him.
He remote-controls (sic) the party and he said that I made my brother the vice-chairman of PDP South-east. I found the South-east PDP from A to Z and he has forgotten that he singlehandedly made Uche Secondus the PDP chairman. He has forgotten that he also wanted to impose one of his own as the minority leader in the House of Representatives.
He must know that there is nothing that happens in PDP without his authorization; he must know that he said the PDP NWC members are bribe-takers and armed robbers; he has called them all kinds of unprintable names and I have told him he should not let us take on ourselves because it will be very dangerous. This is by no means personal because the party does not belong to him.
I do not want to bandy words Wike but he should be mindful how he addresses his colleagues. PDP wants me to be castigating the president. That’s not in my character.
The president remains my father and boss. I am happy doing what I am doing. Everything is not politics. My respect for Mr. President will never change. Mr. President is a man of character and he has been very fair to all the governors irrespective of
political differences.
Umahi is selfish – Wike
He told me he wanted to run for president, and I told him it was not a matter of personal interest and personal decision of one man to become the presidential flag bearer of the party, but a collective decision of all the party members.
When he told me about it, I said listen, PDP as a party has to sit down and talk, the presidency of Nigeria is not by you saying I will be president.
It has to do with everybody in the party sitting down and looking at the pros and cons and say okay yes we think that the South-east should have it.
That is the way it is done; it is not because you are interested and, therefore, it must be done your way.
If you look at his interview, he said he will retire from politics in 2023.
So, when is he going to fight against the injustice against the people of South East?
You heard what members of the PDP in the National Assembly have said.
We all want the South East to have a shot but you cannot achieve that by giving the PDP conditions that if they don’t zone it then you leave. The party you are going to, have they zoned it to the South East?
If that was the case then you would have been able to convince people that because the APC has zoned it to the South East I am leaving to fight for the injustice done to the people of South East.
Umahi’s defection will not affect the fortunes of the PDP in Ebonyi State.