By Gideon Njoku
An APC chieftain in Ebonyi State, Abia Onyike, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call to order Minister for Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, for allegedly interfering in every aspect of governance in Ebonyi State.
Onyike, in a Press Release, said that there can be no two captains in a ship, and that Umahi should allow Governor Francis Nwifuru to govern the State. He accused Umahi, a former Governor of the State, who is Nwifuru’s predecessor, of meddling in the decision-making processes in the State, and added that in 2023, the people voted for Nwifuru and not Umahi.
He, also, alleged that Umahi, who he said, spends more time in Ebonyi State than in Abuja, is in the habit of unilaterally changing the decisions already taken in the State. “In the ongoing political transition programme, Umahi is behaving as if the State has become part of his private trading company. When the Leader of the Party in the State gives directives on how things should be done, Umahi turns himself into a bully and begins to give contrary directives.”
He narrated a bit of his personal experience with the former Governor and warned that on no condition should the President reappoint Umahi as Minister in 2027 because the position should rotate. If, however, he is reappointed, Onyike said he would carry the battle to the Senate in a bid to stop his clearance.
For the records, two things: Onyike has not had a tidy relationship with the Minister from since Umahi’s Governorship of the State. And Governor Nwifuru, who Umahi literally installed as Governor, has never publicly complained about Minister Umahi.
Following is the full text of Onyike’s press release.
*PRESIDENT TINUBU SHOULD CALL UMAHI TO ORDER.*
I wish to appeal to His Excellency, the President of Nigeria, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu to call his Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, to order over his overbearing activities and excessive tendencies in the public affairs of Ebonyi State.
Umahi is fast becoming a meddlesome interlopper in the affairs of the administration of the state and the affairs of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress.
As a member of the Party, I am worried that Umahi’s excessive love for power has made him to forget that there can be no two captains in a ship. Ebonyians elected Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru to occupy the exalted position of Governor. The intention of the electorate was not that power should be shared. He ruled the state when he had the opportunity but now that there is a new government, let him allow Ebonyians to rest.
Umahi spends more time in Abakaliki than in Abuja and tends to meddle into issues of governance and leadership as if he occupies any elective office in the state. He should respect himself and know his limits.
In the on-going political transition programme, Umahi is behaving as if the state has become part of his private trading company. When the Leader of the party in the state gives directives on how things should be done, Umahi turns himself into a bully and begins to give contrary directives.
In 2010, when he was the State Chairman of PDP, he propounded the idea that he was the highest political office holder in Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone. And when the then Deputy Governor, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu hosted a meeting of political office holders from Ebonyi South, he(Umahi) queried Ogbu and lambasted him for calling a meeting without reference to him. But when he(Umahi) became the Deputy Governor to former Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, he saw himself as supreme and lorded it over Prince Ugorji Ama Oti, whom he handed over to as State Party Chairman.
He recently went to the extent of inciting party members to purchase and fill out forms even after the party leadership had organized and moderated consensus arrangements to ensure order, equity and decorum in power sharing in the state. And the meetings were presided over by the leader of the party in the state, Gov Nwifuru and attend by critical stakeholders of the state.
Umahi should be reminded that he is no longer the Governor of the state. In a democratic culture such as this, it is never envisaged that any single individual should continue to exercise power for a very long time. Umahi should respect our constitutional democracy and restrain himself from political abuses which undermine democratic ethos.
When he was the Governor of Ebonyi, he never shared power with anybody. Infact, he was so autocratic and lawless that he stepped on many toes.
Let me give Umahi a Quit notice now. I will join forces with like minds in Ebonyi State to make sure he is not reappointed a Minister in 2027. If by any means he is appointed again, I will petition to the National Assembly and lead a protest to stop him. The position of Minister should rotate amongst the constituent parts of the state.
Umahi uses public office to oppress people. Recently, somebody told me that Umahi is against my aspiration to the House of Reps. He suggested I should go to Uburu and beg him. I refused to do that. I don’t believe that my destiny lies in Umahi’s hands. When I showed interest for the Senate in 2019, Umahi collected #300,000,000(three hundred million Naira) and sold out the ticket. So, right now I heard he was against me going to the House of Reps.
Whatever it is, I believe that Gov Nwifuru had all the capacities and humane considerations to provide leadership and I stand by the decision of the party on the issue of primary elections for the Afikpo/Edda Federal Constituency for 2027 whereupon all the National Assembly members were returned to go back.
Let Umahi respect the collective views of Ebonyi Stakeholders and stop insisting on recolonizing Afikpo and Edda even while out of elective office. Is he the first person to become a Minister? I don’t accept the confusion by Umahi and his attempts to play holier than thou. When he was a sitting Governor, whom did he share power with? Even Chief Anyim Pius Anyim who made him Governor, did he permit him to do anything in the state?
As one of the founding fathers of this state, I cannot afford to keep quiet when strange things are happening because of the greed and selfishness of certain persons.
Abia Onyike,
APC Chieftain,
Ebonyi State.
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