Emerging report indicates that the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, on Tuesday, told the National Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abuja, that he is leaving the party, due to the refusal of the party to zone the 2023 Presidency to the South-East region of the country.
He said that he would join the All Progressives Congress, APC, which he claimed would protect the interest of the South-East, in the 2023 general elections.
It was gathered that Governor Umahi told the members of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC, that his decision to join the APC was irrevocable.
The members of the PDP NWC, who were led to the meeting by its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, were said to have tried in vain to convince the Governor not to abandon the party.
Apart from Secondus, among those that were at the meeting at the Ebonyi State Governor’s Lodge, in Abuja, were the Deputy National Secretary, Agbo Emmanuel; National Organising Secretary, Austin Akobondu; Financial Secretary, Abdullahi Maibasira; National Women Leader, Mariya Waziri; and Senator Sulieman Nazif.
Governor Umahi was said to be friendly when he received the PDP Delegation, but stuck to his decision to leave the PDP, when the issue came up.
It was gathered that the PDP Delegation impressed it upon the Governor that there is no need leaving the PDP for the APC, which they argued had become unpopular.
Sources at the meeting, however, said that Governor Umahi was not convinced, insisting that the APC is planning to zone the 2023 Presidency to the South-East.
He was said to have promised to stay in the PDP, if the party could make a pronouncement that it would zone the Presidency to the same zone.
One of the sources said: “I think his (Governor Umahi) mind was made up. We told him there was no need for him to abandon the party that had made him a Deputy Governor, State Dhairman of the party, two-time Governor, and all that, but he refused.
“He wanted us to unilaterally zone the Office of the Presidency to his area. We cannot do that. Parties are not run that way. He told us he was leaving. That is what we got from him.’’
More news later…
