The Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ebonyi State chapter, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, has described the statement on Governor David Umahi credited to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as signs of frustration and psychiatric disorder.
A statement by the chairman tagged: “UNCEASING ATTACKS BY WIKE ON GOVERNOR UMAHI FOR JOINING APC: SIGNS OF FRUSTRATION AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER”, had Emegha saying that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has been suffering the pains and feeling of the exit of Governor David Umahi from their (PDP) gangrenous party.
According to the party chairman, “It is obvious that the Governor of Rivers state, Mr Nyesom Wike, hardly attend a gathering without mentioning the peace-loving and untiring governor of Ebonyi state, His Excellency, Engr Chief (Dr) Apostle David Nweze Umahi, for leaving the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Since Governor Umahi left the PDP, Wike has been wailing and spewing invectives on him. On many occasions he spoke, he attacked Umahi exposing his frustration. Just yesterday, April 22nd, Mr Wike came to Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital, to consult PDP leaders and delegates over his presidential ambition. Rather than unfolding his agenda or telling them what he would do for Nigerians if elected the president of the country so that they can vote for him during the primary election, he was busy with the microphone attacking Governor Umahi for joining the APC.
“The garrulous Wike said that Governor Umahi took the mandate of the PDP to the APC. This statement is baseless, because a bad candidate can lose an election in a good party, hence people vote based on the credibility of candidates. Chief Apostle David Nweze Umahi is a household name in the state and his strides in leadership are unparalleled. Ebonyians voted for the PDP because of Umahi. In 2015, nobody in PDP accepted to contest the primary election with Umahi because of his capacity and popularity, hence emerged unopposed. In the general election, he won against candidates of other political parties resoundingly. So, which mandate is Wike talking about?
“According to Wike, if Umahi is a man, he should resign as a governor and contest election and know if he can win again. Wike should know that Umahi is not as unorganised as him. It is politically milky to resign one’s position and still contest it again. Apostle Umahi is a force and highly loved by the people. If he contests an election under an unpopular political party, he will win; if he contests as an individual candidate, he will still win. Come 2023, Umahi will win election under APC so you believe that he’s a movement and a dogged party man cum mobiliser.
“Wike is one of the most poorly performing governors in Nigeria. In spite of the high allocation and revenue for Rivers state, Wike has done nothing for the people, but busy packing public funds, brewing violence and attacking Apostle David Umahi for choosing the best party. For Wike, these are achievements of his administration.
“Governor Umahi had challenged Wike for a public debate, but Wike ran away as he had nothing to offer. If Wike is not scared by the achievements of Umahi as a governor, he should have welcomed the debate so that people would make a comparative analysis of governance and development between Ebonyi and Rivers. A good leader boasts of what he has done for the masses and not what he can do to a fellow leader!
“A case on defection of Governor Umahi is already in the court of law. Umahi won at the Abakaliki High Court and Appeal Court Enugu and is still optimistic of victory at the Supreme Court. Why is Wike having a sleepless night over a case that is already with the court of competent jurisdiction?
“What Mr Wike should understand is that Umahi is a visionary leader and no amount of cries and noise making would make him go back to darkness. Umahi is that great leader an American professional speaker, Pastor John C. Maxwell talked about: he (Umahi) “knows the way, goes the way and shows the way”. He knew that the way to the liberation of Ndigbo was APC. He knew that connecting to the mainstream of Nigerian politics is a panacea to the marginalisation of Ndigbo as well as a straw to clutch to the realisation of Igbo presidency, recalling that the PDP ruled Nigeria for 16 years and never zoned presidential position to South-East (Igbo). Umahi as a selfless leader, who has the overall interest of Ndigbo at heart, understood that the PDP doesn’t have Igbo agenda, hence he joined the APC.
“Indubitably, Governor Umahi is the one who collapsed PDP. Immediately he left the party as the pillar, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River joined him. Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state joined among other National and State Assembly Members all over the country. They all defected with their teeming supporters. This informed Wike’s pain and continuous attack on Governor Umahi.
Therefore, the general public should ignore Wike’s incessant attack on Governor Umahi as he is frustrated and depressed over the defection. Lastly, Nyesom Wike should go for a psychiatric test because there are obvious clinical signs that he is losing his mind”, the statement read.
It would be recalled that there have been love lost between the governors of Ebonyi and Rivers States, Governor David Nweze Umahi and Nyesom Wike, respectively, which took a damning twist this weekend as the two helsmen have taken to another round of media war.
On Friday, April 23 Governor Nyesom Wike was in Ebonyi State to woo stakeholders and delegates of the People’s Democratic Party( PDP), to vote for him as the party’s presidential candidate in the next convention.
Governor Wike, who cashed in on the visit to reiterate the defection of Ebonyi State Governor David Nweze Umahi to the All Progressives Congress (APC), told party members that they should be weary to back as aspirant who would defect with the party’s mandate like David Nweze Umahi.
Governor Wike in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri referred to the defection of some governors, including that of Ebonyi State, David Umahi and lawmakers from the PDP to ruling All Progressives Congress when he said, “I have never left this party for one day. When PDP was in trouble, I stood firm and I said PDP will not die. Don’t give (presidential) ticket to someone who will run from the party tomorrow. I am the only person Nigerians know that will not run from the party.”
The Governor expressed optimism that a day of reckoning awaits all those who defected from the PDP to the APC.
Wike dared the state governor of Ebonyi State saying, “My colleague, David Umahi, wherever you are, wherever you may be, hear me very well. PDP had a sleepless night, PDP won the election, and you took the mandate of our people and went to another party.
“If you know you are a man and you are very strong, and that any day they fix an election you will win, I challenge you to resign as governor and contest the election whether you will win again”, the statement read.
According to him, he had stood with the party in thick and thin, even as he assured the Ebonyi State PDP stakeholders and delegates that he had no intention of defecting from the PDP.
