‘Umahi Has No Plans Of Returning To PDP’ – APC

The party said there was no iota of truth in the report and urged its members in the state to disregard the report.

The part was reacting to media reports credited to a PDP Chieftain in Abia State, Dr Isaac Nkole, who claimed that Umahi and a former Governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, who is Senate Chief Whip, are making desperate moves to return to PDP.

The report quoted Dr Nkole as having said: ”We heard that Gov. Dave Umahi also wants to return to PDP. They have all discovered that they made the wrong decision by joining APC in the first place. That’s why they all want to return…”

Umahi, who ran for governorship twice under the PDP dumped the party in November 2020, for the APC.

Simbard Ogbuatu, the state party spokesperson in a statement issued Friday in Abakaliki, said “Umahi has not, either in person, a representative or through a surrogate made and will never make any move to return to the ‘Social Club’ known as PDP.”

According to him, Mr Umahi is at home in APC as the leader of the party for more than one year, claiming that the governor’s defection to the APC was not done to achieve selfish enrichment but for greater good of Ebonyi and the South-East zone.

“The Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum, the Leader of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr David Nweze Umahi, has at no time and will never plan to return to People’s Democratic Party (PDP)”, the statement said.

Continuing Mr Ogbuatu said: “Gov David Umahi’s defection to the national party did not come to him as stupefaction, neither did he join for selfish enrichment”.

“The defection was a well-thought movement which was decided in the greater interest of Ebonyi State in particular and the Southeast in general”, he added.

“His Excellency saw the need to toe the line of the former nationalists like late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, from the zone who had always believed in the politics of the centre,” Mr Ogbuatu said.

He continued: “Governor Umahi as a father and leader of Southeast saw that the present and the future time of the zone is brighter and more promising in APC than the PDP in which the zone had partnered, put up with and worked for twenty years with nothing to show for it.

“Gov Umahi defected to APC in order to join hands with an Icon of Integrity, and a selfless leader President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR and other well-meaning Nigerians in taking Nigeria to the next level.

“Under President Muhammadu Buhari’ s APC led government, every part of Southeast has benefitted in infrastructural development and the only way to appreciate Mr President is to join him in the next level transformation agenda, and that is the leading reason Gov Umahi defected to APC”.

Ogbuatu stated that Umahi has done exceedingly greater than his contemporaries as a governor in this dispensation.

” Ebonyi State has for the last six years witnessed uncommon infrastructural development, human capital development and empowerment under the governor. Significantly, Ebonyi State has become a reference point of good governance under Chief Umahi.

“As the leader of Southeast, Gov Umahi has also demonstrated commitment, patriotism, extraordinary capacity and knowledgeability in the manner he pilots the affairs of the zone”, he added

The APC, therefore, warned the PDP not to distract the governor who is highly committed to providing quality leadership to Ebonyi people.

“Finally, we wish to state bodaciously that Gov Umahi has not, either in person, a representative or through a surrogate made and will never make any move to return to the Social Club known as PDP.

“He is at home in APC as the Ebonyi State Leader of the party for more than one year today. Members of the public should therefore disregard the misleading news as it is the figment of the imagination of the originator who lives in nothing but mischief-making and illusionary disposition,” the party concluded.

The party said there was no iota of truth in the report and urged its members in the state to disregard the report.

The part was reacting to media reports credited to a PDP Chieftain in Abia State, Dr Isaac Nkole, who claimed that Umahi and a former Governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, who is Senate Chief Whip, are making desperate moves to return to PDP.

The report quoted Dr Nkole as having said: ”We heard that Gov. Dave Umahi also wants to return to PDP. They have all discovered that they made the wrong decision by joining APC in the first place. That’s why they all want to return…”

Umahi, who ran for governorship twice under the PDP dumped the party in November 2020, for the APC.

Simbard Ogbuatu, the state party spokesperson in a statement issued Friday in Abakaliki, said “Umahi has not, either in person, a representative or through a surrogate made and will never make any move to return to the ‘Social Club’ known as PDP.”

According to him, Mr Umahi is at home in APC as the leader of the party for more than one year, claiming that the governor’s defection to the APC was not done to achieve selfish enrichment but for greater good of Ebonyi and the South-East zone.

“The Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum, the Leader of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr David Nweze Umahi, has at no time and will never plan to return to People’s Democratic Party (PDP)”, the statement said.

Continuing Mr Ogbuatu said: “Gov David Umahi’s defection to the national party did not come to him as stupefaction, neither did he join for selfish enrichment”.

“The defection was a well-thought movement which was decided in the greater interest of Ebonyi State in particular and the Southeast in general”, he added.

“His Excellency saw the need to toe the line of the former nationalists like late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, from the zone who had always believed in the politics of the centre,” Mr Ogbuatu said.

He continued: “Governor Umahi as a father and leader of Southeast saw that the present and the future time of the zone is brighter and more promising in APC than the PDP in which the zone had partnered, put up with and worked for twenty years with nothing to show for it.

“Gov Umahi defected to APC in order to join hands with an Icon of Integrity, and a selfless leader President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR and other well-meaning Nigerians in taking Nigeria to the next level.

“Under President Muhammadu Buhari’ s APC led government, every part of Southeast has benefitted in infrastructural development and the only way to appreciate Mr President is to join him in the next level transformation agenda, and that is the leading reason Gov Umahi defected to APC”.

Ogbuatu stated that Umahi has done exceedingly greater than his contemporaries as a governor in this dispensation.

” Ebonyi State has for the last six years witnessed uncommon infrastructural development, human capital development and empowerment under the governor. Significantly, Ebonyi State has become a reference point of good governance under Chief Umahi.

“As the leader of Southeast, Gov Umahi has also demonstrated commitment, patriotism, extraordinary capacity and knowledgeability in the manner he pilots the affairs of the zone”, he added

The APC, therefore, warned the PDP not to distract the governor who is highly committed to providing quality leadership to Ebonyi people.

“Finally, we wish to state bodaciously that Gov Umahi has not, either in person, a representative or through a surrogate made and will never make any move to return to the Social Club known as PDP.

“He is at home in APC as the Ebonyi State Leader of the party for more than one year today. Members of the public should therefore disregard the misleading news as it is the figment of the imagination of the originator who lives in nothing but mischief-making and illusionary disposition,” the party concluded.