Umahi’s Curious U-turn on South-east Presidency
After his woeful performance at the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress, Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi, has ditched his clamour for South-east presidency. Ejiofor Alike reports that Umahi’s curious U-turn was borne out of selfishness and insincerity
BMr.efore the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held their presidential primaries, the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi was one of the greatest advocates of Southeast presidency. When he defected from the PDP to the APC in November 2020, he told journalists in Abakiliki, the state capital that he moved to the APC because of “injustice” meted out to the South-east by the PDP, which was the refusal of the main opposition party to give the presidency to the geo-political zone since 1999.
“Since 1999, the South-east has supported the PDP.AtatimethefivestateswereallPDP.Oneofthe foundingmembersofthePDPwasfromSouth-east, the late former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme.
“It is absurd that since 1999 going to 2023, the South-east will never be considered to run for presidency under the PDP. And this is my position andwillcontinuetobemyposition.Ithadnothingto do with me or my ambition”, Umahi had reportedly claimed.
Inwhatwasperceivedasasignofgenuineagitation fortheinterestofNdigbo,Umahihadalsopromised thathewouldcontinuetoagitatefortheinterestof the South-east in or out of office.
Hesaidhehaddecidedtobecomethe“sacrificial lamb” that would be crucified for the interest and good of the South-east as a zone.
Umahihadfurthernotedthatdespitehismovement totheAPC,hewouldnotcastigatethePDP,expressing thehopethatthePDPwouldstillconsidertheregion and zone the Presidency to South-east for equity andfairness.Heseizedeveryopportunitytomake case for South-east presidency.
HearguedthatNigeriansfromotherregionsofthe countryshouldnotbeafraidofIgboPresidency.At areceptionorganisedonhisbehalfattheChristian EcumenicalCentre,Abakaliki,lastJanuary,theEbonyi StategovernorhadnotedthatNdigboarenotknown forcausingdestructionbutgrowthanddevelopment inanysociety.HeinsistedthattheIgbomanwithlots ofinvestmentsindifferentpartsofthecountrywas betterequippedtodeveloptheeconomyofthenation.
While addressing the APC delegates from the South-eastinOwerri,ImoStatecapital,shortlybefore the party’s presidential primary, Umahi, who was a presidential aspirant on the platform of the ruling party,saidthecountryneededapresidentthatcould provide development and security to Nigerians.
“Let me tell Nigerians that there is nothing to be afraid of in an Igbo man becoming president. We need to be wise and stand together.
“Wehavepropertyandinvestmentseverywhere; so,whenpeopletellyouaboutBiafra,itisnotabout seceding at all.
“We want one Nigeria built on the platform of equity, fairness and justice; the Igbo man will do better under a united Nigeria. We want to be fairly treated”, he reportedly explained.
Theformerpresidentialhopefulsaidthe2023 electionwasatimeforNigerianstoprovethe‘no victory,novanquish’declarationthatwasmade after the civil war.
“My position is that our brothers from the South-South and South-West should give us a chance on the same platform upon which we demandthatthepresidencyshouldcometothe South-east”, Umahi reportedly added. Despite the several odds against the South-east, which were caused by the refusal of his party to zone thepresidentialtickettotheregion,coupledwith the refusal of the South-south and the South- west to cede the presidency to the South-east geo-political zone, Umahi still contested the presidential ticket of his party, and recorded a very poor outing.
Expectedly, he came a distant sixth position aftertheNationalLeaderoftheAPC,SenatorBola Tinubu;immediatepasttransportminister,Mr. RotimiAmaechi;Vice-PresidentYemiOsinbajo; SenatePresident,Dr.AhmadLawan;andGovernor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
Following his poor performance, which was causedbyhisfailuretoreadthehandwritingon the wall, Umahi tongue-lashed the Igbo’s apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, blamingtheleadershipofthebodyforhisshameful outing at his party’s primary. He accused an innocentPresident-GeneralofOhanaezeNdigbo
Worldwide,Prof.GeorgeObiozor,ofplayingpolitics with the clamour for Igbo Presidency in 2022.
Addressingthepeople,whoreceivedhiminAbakaliki,thestatecapitalonarrivalaftertheAPCprimary, hesaidhewasdismayedwiththeattitudeofpolitical actorsfromSouth-eastzonefornotjustifyingthe agitations against the marginalisation of Ndigbo.
“Prof. Obiozor could not stand for Igbo when it mattered so much, it is a very big shame, I have no confidenceinhimandheisnolongermyPresident. In the comity of South-east, Ebonyi people are not regarded; I continue to say that Ebonyi will never be Biafra.
“I weep for our leaders, we are now regarded as peoplethatwillsellanythingforthesakeofmoney, it is about equity, justice, and fairness upon which I continue to shout for the unity of this country”, an angry Umahi was quoted as saying.
Sourceswithinthepan-Igbosocio-culturalorganisationallegedthatUmahi’sgrouseagainstObiozor wasduetohisallegedrefusaltopresenttheEbonyi State governor to President Muhammadu Buhari as the consensus candidate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
According to one of the sources, Umahi had allegedly invited Obiozor to Ebonyi State during PresidentBuhari’svisittothestatetoraisehishand as the consensus candidate of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. ButObiozorwassaidtohavepolitelydeclinedtodo hisbiddingandremindedhimthattherewereother South-eastaspirantsinAPC,PDPandotherparties.
So,whenhelosttheelection,hepouredhisvenom onObiozor.HowpresentinghimtoPresidentBuhari could have made him to defeat the likes of Tinubu, Osinbajo, Amaechi and other better-equipped aspirantsstillbeatone’simagination”, thesourcesaid.
TodemonstratethatUmahi’sclamourforSoutheast presidency was borne out of selfishness and lack of sincerity, he went further to urge voters in thestatetorejectthepresidentialcandidateofthe LabourParty,Mr.PeterObiduringtheFebruary25, 2023 presidential election.
Speakingduringtheswearing-inoffivecommissioners,twoSpecialAssistantsandsixdevelopment centrecoordinators,theformerchampionofSoutheast presidency urged the people of the state not to vote for the Labour Party.
“WewillnotvoteforLabourParty,wewillonlyvote forAPC.OurvoteisforAPCandnotforLabourParty”, he reportedly said. There is no doubt that Umahi, as an APC governor is expected to work for the success of his party at the presidential election. But the way he championed the clamour for the South-east presidency gave the false impression that he would support any presidential candidate that would emerge from the South-east in any of the major political parties.
HiscuriousU-turnonlyshowedthathisclamourwas borneoutofinsincerity,selfishnessandhypocrisy. Umahihasconfirmedtheclaimsbyhiscriticsthatthe only presidential aspirant he wanted as president to fulfill his desire for South-east presidency was himself.