APC, PDP Miscalculated On Choice Of Presidential Candidates, Says Umahi
Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, has described the choice of the Presidential Candidates of both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a miscalculation. Umahi said this yesterday while responding to questions on whether the South-east was ready to produce the President for the country at an interaction with State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa…….Continue Reading
The governor said the vibrancy of the Labour Party (LP)’s Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi’s campaign movement has proven to be an eye opener to both parties on the readiness and acceptability of a South-eastern candidate for the 2023 Presidential poll. Recall that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had emerged the flag bearers of both APC and PDP respectively in their party’s conventions. Umahi said, “What happened during the primaries of PDP and APC, were a kind of miscalculation by people.
But to say whether they’re ready for the presidency of the country anytime, I think that the movement of Peter Obi is an eye opener. “That’s why I said, I love what he’s doing. I’m encouraged by what he’s doing. Because if he’s not doing what he’s doing, it means that the South East would have been forgotten.
“So, while my party takes the victory, he would have prepared a very good ground for the South East Presidency, so that nobody is going to write us off. And you can see the level of his acceptability, which does not translate to victory over APC. “I’m sure of that, but it’s a good movement. And it reassures the southeast people and the entire country that we are accepted; that we will one day become the president of this country.
It is very important.” The governor debunked the insinuation that Obi’s political activities were responsible for the reduction of killings in the South-east, pointing out that security has improved generally across the country. “You cannot technically assign the killings because of Igbo presidency; you can see that security generally is improving in the country. And it has nothing to do with the movement of Peter Obi.
The Peter Obi movement is a movement that is anchored on equity, justice and fairness. It may not translate to outright win because I must defend my party; I must wish my party well and I’m having the ticket of my party. So but whether what he is doing has meaning there, not only south east, it does have meaning. So we must never attribute the killings in the South East to this kind of movement.” Asked whether he was dismissing the Obi’s movement, Umahi said he would wish his party’s candidate, Tinubu, victory at the polls but where he fails, he would prefer Obi to win because he believed strongly that the next president should come from the southern part of the country. On why he came to see the President, Umahi said he came to invite him for the Commissioning of his newly constructed N1.2 billion Ebonyi Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
