Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has denied dumping the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Governor Umahi stated this in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Chooks Oko on Friday Morning.
He was reacting to reports by an online medium claiming that the Governor and the APC in the state have dumped Tinubu for the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi.
Umahi described the report as false, misleading and outright wicked.
He said the state APC and the governor remains unwavering in it’s resolve to vote for Tinubu in the election.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. Dave N. Umahi and all APC party faithful in the state have been drawn to the malicious insinuation that the party in the state has ditched her presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Jagaban Borgu, for Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party”
“This is false, misleading and outright wicked. It is a ruthless ploy by the opposition to score cheap political gains they have not worked for”
“For the avoidance of doubt, Ebonyi State APC remains resolutely committed to voting in her presidential candidate, and enjoins all well meaning Ebonyians to follow suit,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the APC Leadership in the State also debunked the said report.
A statement by the Spokesperson of the party in Ebonyi, Simbad Ogbuatu, described the report as a tissue of lies and useless propaganda.
“As useless and misleading as the faceless reportage appears, the “Obidient” politicians who are behind it have; in their desperation forgotten that Governor Umahi who is leader of the APC in Ebonyi State had ab-initio made it categorically obvious that Ebonyi State is APC and the state will vote only APC and no other political party in the State,” Mr Simbad said.
Mr Ogbuatu noted that Governor Umahi is among the APC Governors in Nigeria that crisscrossed all the Local Government Areas in their states, campaigning for Tinubu and other APC candidates in the State.
He said: “Ebonyi APC remains one of the APC states to carry out ward by ward campaigns, selling all their candidates, including the presidential candidate of the APC to Ebonyians at the grassroots.
“Nonetheless, the adoption of a candidate for election is not a function of speculations. It is a function of pronouncements.
“We therefore challenge the desperate “Obidient” politicians who sponsored this puerile piece of a nitwit propaganda to show the world where such pronouncement was made by Governor Umahi or any APC stalwart in Ebonyi State.
“It is therefore glaring that less than 48hours to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the “Obidient” followers of Peter Obi are already envisaging defeat, which is very much imminent.
“Hence, they have resorted to cheap propaganda and antagonism against Governor Umahi and Ebonyi APC as ways of making the Governor and the Ebonyi APC part of their defeat in the first round of election.
“This is very ridiculous. Let it be known to them that Ebonyi APC and Governor Umahi are not fools.
“We are real party men and women who must support and vote for candidates of our party from the top to the last man.
“We are not like other un-serious lots who have presidential candidates standing election in their party, but choose to support Obi because of social media frenzy. Ebonyi APC is too mature for such nonsense. We are pragmatic politicians.”
“More so, let it be known to the “Obidients” that Nigeria has outgrown ethnic, tribal, regional and religious politics which Obi’s Labour Party represents.
“Those eras have been permanently consigned to a footnote of 20th century Nigeria political history as exemplified by the first and second republics and therefore anachronistic in Nigeria contemporary politics.
“Tinubu and other APC candidates remain the contestants to beat in Saturday’s election. Thomases should go and write it somewhere.”
“Be that as it may, the Labour Party fanatics still have the opportunity of coming over and pitch tent with the winning APC and be part of the victory that is on the way instead of ridiculing themselves with a propaganda that is symptomatic of political simpletons and dead on arrival,” he said.
