Why Umahi’s defection myth persists in Ebonyi

In spite of official denials, some stakeholders insist Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State is poised to defect from his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC). In this report, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, seeks to unearth the issues that have sustained the controversy

 

KEEN observers of the politics of Ebonyi State ahead of 2023 General Elections have expressed concern over the controversies that have continued to trail reports that Governor David Umahi allegedly defected to All Progressives Congress (APC). The unease draws from the persistence of some close observers that in spite of the many denials, including official renunciations from the Ebonyi State Government, there may be truth in the allegation.

Though the claim concerning his romance with APC and his cordial relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari in particular, dates back much earlier; it caught wide attention in 2019, when the governor was alleged to have told an audience in his village home at Uburu, during Yuletide, that he was ‘both in the PDP and in the APC.’

Such allegations notwithstanding, The Nation learnt that Umahi is a very influential member of the PDP though he has some personal affinities with some APC leaders, including President Buhari. “Perhaps it is because of his personal friendship with some top APC leaders that made his critics and political enemies to fuel this rumour about his alleged defection to APC. I find the whole matter rather ridiculous because Governor Umahi is a staunch leader of PDP. Free minded, yes; has many friends in the other political parties, yes; but these do not amount to the claim that he has defected to APC. If for any reason Umahi wants to defect from PDP, he will simply announce it and that would be it. But in this case, he has denied this claim openly and officially; so, I don’t know why his political enemies and other politicians are still making this claim and why it has so ridiculously become the major issue of conjecture today in Ebonyi State politics ahead of the 2023 elections,” says Pa Agbo Otunta, a septuagenarian retired teacher.

Other concerned stakeholders also wondered why the Chairman of the PDP dominated Southeast Governors Forum, being a second term governor,  would decide to turn his back against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after using the platform to rise to his current position; from the position of a state party chairman, deputy governor and now a two-term governor?

The controversy gathered more steam when Rep. Chinedu Ogah, the only House of Representatives member produced on the APC platform in the state, confirmed it.

The member, who represents Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency, was quoted as saying, “Yes, Governor Umahi’s defection to our great party, APC, is a step in the right direction. We cannot afford to remain in opposition. We must join the ruling party to continue to reap the dividends of democracy.

“I am calling on other governors in the Southeast to toe the line of Governor Umahi and join APC. We have to be at the centre, we have to join mainstream politics for overall development of our zone and the country in general. President Muhammadu Buhari has done well. Everybody should join APC to encourage him.”

Reacting however, the Ebonyi State Government described the claim as “false and a figment of imagination” of some people. The governor’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Francis Nwaze, in a statement on the matter, made available to newsmen in Abakaliki, said: “My attention has been drawn to the news making the round in some quarters of the media, alleging that the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, has defected to All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The news is a product of a figment of imagination on the part of the carriers as Governor Umahi was, is, and is still flying the flag of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“It is, however, difficult to observe how people are easily persuaded to believe in fake dummies in the name of rumours.

“If for any reason, Governor Umahi wishes to leave Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it will be officially communicated and can never be a product from rumour mongers.

“The general public is advised to jettison such unfounded rumour.”

Instead of putting paid to the seemingly unending controversy, our checks during the week confirmed that the issue of Umahi’s possible defection to the APC is still dominating political discuss in Ebonyi State even as analysts and political players provide all manner of reasons why the go governor will dump the PDP for APC or why he would not leave his party for any other.

Leading insider stakeholders who are still insisting that the governor is set to defect to APC is Rep Chinedu Ogah. In a telephone chat on Friday, the APC federal lawmaker told The Nation that his state governor has concluded plans to defect to APC. Asked why the rumour has persisted in spite of the official denials, Ogah said “because the defection move is true. The governor is coming to APC. We are all prepared to receive him. He has concluded all the plans to defect to APC and we are ready to receive him.”

Asked if he is insisting on his earlier claims which the state government denied, he said: “It’s not just about standing by what I said before. You must have known me; I don’t say what I am not sure of. Governor David Umahi is in APC. Between now and next week, we will formally receive him.”

APC State chairman, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze, also told The Nation at the weedend that it is true Umahi is preparing to defect to APC. “Yes it is true. These have been meetings and we are making preparations to receive him and many others,” he said.

Another APC chieftain in Ebonyi State who insisted during the week that Umahi is headed to APC is Comrade Abia Onyike, a former Commissioner of Information in the state.

In a brief chat with The Nation, Onyike, who is also the spokesman of Alaigbo Development Foundation, said, “Right now, all he wants to do is to look for a more suitable platform for his much touted presidential ambition. How he intends to achieve that ambition in APC is not known to any other person except himself. His supporters call him the miracle worker. But other political watchers in the state think that Governor Umahi is running for his political life.

Insisting that Umahi’s defection was true, he said “with the influence of popular politicians and the other National Assembly members, it is obvious that the governor is no longer comfortable in the PDP.”

Another source claimed that part of the fallout of the party’s state congress, boycotted by the Abuja group, which petitioned the national leadership of the party, “is that the party may no longer give Governor Umahi the edge he enjoyed before. It is therefore no longer a puzzle that he has to look elsewhere.”

The source added; “we also gathered that he may have concluded plans to defect with the majority of the members of the state House of Assembly”.

Reacting to this, the Association of Ebonyi Indigenes in the Diaspora (AEID) said the governor has the right to join any political party of his choice but requested the governor to drop any plan of coercing members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly to join him in his plan to defect to APC. The President of the Association, Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, expressing the group’s position on the matter, said: “While acknowledging his right to freedom of association as enshrined in Nigerian Constitution; we wish to sue for peace in our dear state. Therefore, we request him not to coerce, intimidate or pressure politicians and stakeholders in PDP to join him in his APC defection plans”.

2023 election calculations

Another reason being advanced by sources as possible explanation of the alleged defection plan may be recent intrigues in Ebonyi State PDP and how it would likely impact Governor Umahi’s future political ambition. Besides the much talked about Umahi’s presidential or vice presidential ambitions, some observers said the least the Ebonyi State governor would accept in 2023 is to proceed to the Senate. Whichever political ambition that would be ultimately fulfilled would be directly or indirectly informed by the current political permutations.

It would be recalled that a few months ago, the PDP in Ebonyi State, organised its state congresses. The congresses were reportedly boycotted by the National Assembly members. A source, Onyike  said “there had been accumulated grievances over the way and manner local government chairmen and councillors were allegedly imposed and elected under PDP during the last council elections in the state. The aggrieved National Assembly members petitioned the leadership of PDP, which waded into the matter and blamed Umahi for the handling of the affairs in question. With other top politicians in the state stepping up their fight for the soul of the party come 2023, Umahi appears to be losing grip. Sen. Obinna Ogba, one of the contenders for the 2023 governorship position has been locked in a struggle for the control of the party with Gov. Umahi. The latest fall out was that the PDP leaders were no longer willing to allow Umahi control the structure of the party in the state. The party may have begun to reduce the undue advantages enjoyed by Umahi which made him the Emperor he craved to be. For instance, his critics alleged that his blood younger brother, Austin Umahi, whom he installed as National Vice Chairman of PDP may have been sidelined as the post has been zoned out to another state in the forthcoming zonal Congress of the party. The influence of Gov. Umahi’s other younger brother, Maxwell Umahi, who is the State Deputy Chairman of the party in the state, may fizzle out in the face of his brother’s defection to APC. So, there is a clear signal that part of the reason for Umahi’s hurried exit from PDP is that he has started losing ground considerably. For a sitting governor with an ambition to seek election into the Senate and decide whom his successor would be, the situation for him in PDP has become ominous, hence his decision to defect to APC.”

Given the current utterances of insiders and the controversy trailing the matter in the state’s political theatre ever since October, it seems the last has not been heard of the alleged defection bid of Ebonyi State governor to the APC.