2023: We can't unilaterally zone Presidential ticket to S'East to please Umahi

 

As the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi insisted on joining  All Progessives Congress, APC, the leadership of Peoples Democractic Party has stated that the party would not unilaterally zone 2023 Presidential ticket to South East to stop the governor's decision.

Umahi has told the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Tuesday that he was leaving the party. 

He said he would join the ruling All Progressives Congress at the centre owing to his claim that it would protect the interest of the South-East in the 2023 elections.

It was gathered that Umahi told the members of the National Working Committee of the PDP 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 to convince the governor not to abandon the party.

Apart from Secondus, among those that were at the meeting at the Ebonyi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja were Deputy National Secretary, Agbo Emmanuel; National Organising Secretary, Austin Akobondu; Financial Secretary, Abdullahi  Maibasira;  National Women Leader, Mariya Waziri  and Senator Sulieman Nazif.

The governor 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 was no need leaving the PDP for the APC, which they argued had become unpopular.

Sources at the meeting, however, said the governor was not convinced, insisting that  the APC was 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’s) 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 chairman 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.’’

When contacted, Secondus confirmed that the party’s leadership met with Umahi.

He, however, refused to declared the details of the meeting, insisting that the meeting was on ‘‘national issues.’’