Ebonyi: War As Umahi, Anyim Trade Words |The Source

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Anyim Pius Anyim wielded enormous power as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, during the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, so much so, that he used his influence to ensure the emergence of Dave Umahi as governor of Ebonyi state, against the wishes of other PDP stalwarts in the state.

Five years down the line, the former political allies are at loggerheads over the decision of Governor Umahi to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC the ruling party. To cap it all Anyim is now accusing the governor of trying to kill him.

I want “to notify the public that I fully understand that what Umahi meant by *“this will be the last fight I will fight”, is that he will kill me so that I will not live to fight again*. While I invite the security agencies to note this plan, I want to assure Gov. Umahi that my blood is not available for him in pursuit of his ambition,” Anyim said in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Umahi left the PDP penultimate week in pursuance of his ambition to contest the presidency in 2023, which he felt cannot be achieved in the PDP, as the party has so far failed to zone the office to any part of the country.

But the former SGF and other PDP chieftains refused to join him in his new party to the angst of Governor Umahi who’s said he was betrayed after Anyim had earlier agreed with him to defect.

The governor has fired back at his political enemies, accusing them of trying to use his defection to cause mayhem in the state.

“I want the media to note, that I reported an allegation that some Ebonyi people are engaging cultists and according to them some IPOB Members to start killing and causing crisis in Ebonyi State in the name of fighting Ebonyi State Government and the governor.

“Their leader is Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and their members are Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, Mr. Ali Odefa and others. The same Senator Anyim Pius Anyim fought the former Governor Sam Egwu and many people were killed,” the governor said at the State Security Council meeting, last week.

But while responding to the allegation, Anyim said the state’s helmsman decided to join the APC on his own accord without consulting other stakeholders in the state.

The Ebonyi governor, the former SGF said, is after his life because he failed to follow him to the APC, describing Umahi as a greedy and over ambitious politician.

In the open letter titled “Governor David Umahi on his wild, infantile, and utterly senseless accusations against my person,” Anyim said Umahi has made the biggest political mistake of his life by defecting to APC.

The letter was addressed to the President, Inspector –General of Police; Director – General, State Security Service and Chief of Defence Staff.

Anyim said “Gov. Umahi is pitiably delusional. He is a prisoner of his greed and inordinate ambition. Here is a drowning man looking for who to drag down with him. Gov.

“Umahi has made his worst mistake after his latest misadventure by taking on me and other noble and respectable sons of Ebonyi State who have served and continued to serve our dear State with resolute commitment, dedication and integrity.”

He said there was no time he agreed with the governor to defect to the APC.

“The case at hand is his defection to APC on the 19th of November, 2020. The discerning public knows that he has been on the plan for a long time and when he decided to consummate it, he suddenly concocted an accusation against PDP, that PDP was not willing to zone Presidency to the South-east.

“People who know Gov. Umahi know that he normally starts this way whenever he is hatching a sinister plan. He raises dust, makes wild allegations and accusations against people just to divert the attention of the public before he strikes.

“It is public knowledge that Gov. Umahi had been planning his defection to the All Progressive (s) Congress, APC for a long time. In his delusion, he believed his own lies that he is the only man who matters in Ebonyi State. He did not consult with anybody notable before consummating his defection to APC. After his defection, no person of note followed him.”

Anyim said the governor has now realized the folly of his decision when it has become too late, adding that Umahi is a drowning man trying desperately to take other people in the state down with him.

According to him “Unable to contain and manage the unsavory reactions from the public he ran to my home in the company of some high-profile people, on the 20th of November 2020, and pleaded with me to defect to APC, saying that if I do, others will follow suit.

“I pointed out to him that his approach has made it almost impossible for anybody to defect. He pleaded with me that if I cannot defect now, I should not attend any PDP meetings, and I said no, I must attend PDP meetings as long as I am in PDP.

“He realised that he could not persuade anybody when he saw the crème of Ebonyi Elders and citizen that gathered for the inauguration of PDP Caretaker Committee. He could no longer sleep and declared war on every one who has refused to defect with him.”

“I would not have taken his present spew of baseless allegations seriously, but because I suspect he is under a spell and perhaps something is pursuing him.

“He may have been told that he will need to kill before he would achieve his present enterprise and so to build up a scenario for him to kill, he will need to spew allegations of killings even when they make no sense.

“I have no doubt that Governor Umahi may have been told that he needed blood to accomplish his present enterprise, otherwise how can a man in his 6th year as Governor of a State suddenly realise that a former President of the Senate, a former Governor of the State and two-time serving Senator Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, two time serving Senator, are now cultists and IPOB members.”