APC Presidential Primaries: Umahi Cries Out, Says “I Did Not Step Down For Senate President, Lawan

By Charles Igbo

Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, has dismissed, as a blatant lie, the story that he has stepped down from his Presidential aspiration in favour of Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan.

The story, carried by a national television, said Umahi stepped down for Lawan after the meeting President Muhammadu Buhari held with all Presidential aspirants under the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Not a few people were, at once, shocked and surprised by the story, especially, as APC Northern Governors and Leaders, after a meeting  on Saturday, June 4, issued a statement, and urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Party that a Southern candidate be given the APC Presidential candidate. They said it is only fair, for peace and stability, that Buhari be succeeded by a Southerner after eight years in office.

The story that Umahi stepped down for Lawan not only angered many, it was interpreted that Umahi was perfecting a running mate agreement under Lawan.

But the Governor, in a statement issued on his behalf by his Special Assistant Media, Francis Nwaeze, denied he had withdrawn from the race in favour of Lawan.  He said he was still in the race.

Umahi: “The news item is totally false in context and content. This raises a question mark about the credibility of the source of such fallacy, what never took place which is capable of putting Engineer Umahi’s aspiration in jeopardy.”

He said he was visited at his lodge in Abuja by Lawan on Saturday, during which time both of them pledged to support, between the two of them, whoever emerges the flagbearer of the APC.

Following, the full text of Umahi’s denial of the story.

“Our attention has been drawn to a news story purportedly broadcast on the stable of one of the revered Television Stations in Nigeria, the Arise Television in which the Station announced that Engineer David Nweze Umahi has stepped down his aspiration for his fellow Presidential Aspirant and Senate President, Ahmed Lawal ahead of the Presidential Primary.

“Without much Ado, I make the following clarifications to guide the teeming supporters of Engineer Umahi, members and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Nigerians at large.

“1. The news item is totally false in context and content. This raises a question mark about the credibility of the source of such fallacy, what never took place which is capable of putting Engineer Umahi’s aspiration in jeopardy.

“2. For the sake of discerning minds, what happened was that Senate President, Ahmed Lawal in a last-ditch effort to ramp up partnership ahead of the APC Presidential Primary, visited Governor Umahi in his Abuja residence on Saturday where they both promised to support whoever amongst the two and other Aspirants that emerge the Flagbearer of the Party in the Primary. The Senate President even took out time to eulogize Engineer Umahi for making the Party proud through his purposeful governance in Ebonyi State.

“3. There was no time during the visit that the issue of stepping down by either Engineer Umahi or the Senate President was discussed or even suggested.

“4. It, therefore, becomes a serious concern how the Arise Television got themselves enmeshed in this kind of professional miscarriage of reality without verifying the authenticity or otherwise of their news source.

“5. The teeming supporters of Engineer Umahi across Nigeria and beyond are encouraged to disregard the ill-fated news item which is by all standards fake, and go about their solidarity on the assurance that His Excellency the Governor is still very much in the race to develop Nigeria, God willing, he will emerge in the Sunday Presidential Primary of our great Party, the All Progressives Congress.”

Umahi who won a second- term as Ebonyi State Governor under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, suddenly, midway into his tenure, defected to the APC, with the reason that the PDP was not prepared to give its Presidential seat ticket to the South-east after unflinching support of the Zone. He has been proved right.

Last week, the PDP gave its ticket to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.