Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi has finally quashed the media speculation that he was opposed to the presidential bid of Mr. Peter Obi, declaring the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the 2023 presidential election a HERO.
He made the declaration while appearing on Arise Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Show on Friday.
Umahi, whose presidential bid under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) failed last June, said on Friday, that he was thrilled by Obi’s decision to continue the presidential race when he was denied the ticket under the platform of his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Ebonyi Governor had earlier dumped the PDP for APC in his bid to actualize his presidential dream on the grounds that the PDP had refused to zone its presidential ticket to the South East.
Confronted with the failure of his move and why he would be repudiating his earlier position and now attacking his fellow Igbo man on the ground that he failed to actualize his ambition in APC, Umahi flatly denied that he had ever stood against Obi’s presidential ambition or made any uncomplimentary remarks against him.
Umahi, who was in fact, quoted as saying that Obi stood no chance as the state was totally for the PDP and that he was going to organise a three-million man march for the candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, dismissed the reports as social media creations, which he said, had done a lot of damages to the country.
Instead, he told his hosts on Arise TV program that he would be hosting the LP candidate in the State anytime soon, to show the world where he stood with Obi, who he described as “my brother and my friend.”
The governor, who parried every other question on who he would actually support in the election between Obi and Tinubu, saying it was premature to do so, in order not to break the electoral laws, though he maintained the earlier stance of governors from the South in September last year that the position must come to the region, said: “I was sure that the PDP was not going to give ticket to an Igbo man and I said, no, that was not fair, because we’ve served this party since 1999.
“That was my position. A lot of people that are crying today were the people attacking me for leaving the party and subsequently, they left. They owe me a lot of apologies. Peter Obi is my brother. I’m very proud of what he’s doing. It would have been a disaster if the South East is not heard at all in the quest for presidency and I wish him well.
“I never in all my outings and utterances mentioned Peter Obi. Peter Obi is my brother and my friend. I’m going to host him in Ebonyi State and I will host him publicly, I like what he’s doing, and it’s very encouraging.”
