Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State, on Tuesday , met with the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus and the national working committee of the party in Abuja amid rumours of his defection to the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC.
According to our sources, Governor Umahi has completed plans to join APC ahead of 2023 General elections. The sources which spoke with our correspondent under the condition of anonymity said any moment from now, Umahi will join APC if his requests are not met.
9NEWS NIGERIA gathered that Senator Julius Ucha, an APC Leader in Ebonyi on Sunday declared that Gov. Umahi is actually on his way to join the party from the PDP.
Ucha, the Former Senator representing Ebonyi Central zone at the National Assembly and presently a member of the National Assembly Service Commission, disclosed this during the party’s stakeholders meeting in Abakaliki.
The former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and an APC Gubernatorial Candidate said the matter had been concluded at the appropriate quarters and was no longer a joke.
“This will ensure that for the first time, APC will be in control of governance in the state and will make the governors of other south east states to declare for the party.
“I told President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to the state in 2017 that governors are very powerful individuals who could not be ignored in any way.
“We should continue praying that nothing stops this move because the world’s greatest wireless connection is prayer,” he said.
EBONYI HOUSE ASSEMBLY ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO PDP
Ebonyi State House of Assembly had issued a 7-Day ultimatum to the National leadership of People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) to as a matter of public urgent importance zone the party’s Presidential ticket to the South-East geo-political zone for the 2023 Presidential election.
The Speaker warned that if the request of the lawmakers is not adhered to, the members of the Assembly will take decisive action to ensure that justice was s done.
He also said that, the Honourable Members of the 6th Ebonyi State House of Assembly will leave no stone unturned in taking decisive actions to ensure that traditions and dividends of democracy are respected in our party.
The Speaker reiterated that since inception of democracy in 1999, the South-East has delivered landslide victory to PDP.
Hon Nwifuru emphasised that the South-East zone has formidable Presidential personalities that possess the pedigree and capability to occupy the number one position in the country.
EBONYI PDP ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO NATIONAL LEADERSHIP
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday gave the national leadership of the party a one-week ultimatum to zone the 2023 presidential ticket of the party to the southeast.
The party said this in a statement by the State Chairman, Onyekachi Nwebonyi.
Mr. Nwebonyi said this has become imperative since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the date for the elections.
The party also made case for the re-election of Prince Uche Secondus for a second term as National Chairman of the party.
“We, therefore, enjoin the party, in whatever arrangement not to tamper with the seat of the national chairman. Having performed satisfactory well, leading the party to victories, Secondus deserves a second term. That is not negotiable,” Nwebonyi warned.
Mr Nwebonyi said the party should in the interest of justices equity and fairness zone the presidential ticket to the southeast.
He argued that since the inception of the democratic dispensation, PDP has never thrown its presidential ticket open to all zones but rotated the ticket between the south and north.
“It is a crass show of hypocrisy if the PDP denies the Southeast that chance. To that effect, we do vehemently demand that the NEC meeting of the PDP be convened within one week to ratify the issue and zone the presidential ticket to the southeast,” he said.
