Politics
Re Buhari: Ebonyi Group Lambasts Umahi
The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has described as unfortunate and disappointing a comment credited to the state governor, David Umahi, wherein he prayed and expressed a wish for God to give Nigeria another President like Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The group demanded that the governor should apologise to Nigerians.
In a statement signed on Monday by the group’s president, Amb. Paschal Oluchukwu, he said from indication, the governor allegedly made the statement out of sycophancy and bootlicking.
Umahi was reported to have made the statement while addressing State House correspondents after an official visit to the President at the Presidential villa, Abuja last week.
The Ebonyi indigenes, however said: “It was not surprising to us and the rest of reasonable Ebonyians that the said comments and wish attracted the kinds of umbrage of negative reactions from various segments of the Nigerian public, who have worn the Buhari shoe in the last six years and therefore know where it truly pinches them. Any wonder, many have attributed the sad comments as one coming from a leader seeking political survival.
“First is that we may even wish to clarify that Umahi is rather seeking for political protection from the centre, having lost touch with realities and his people. We have been drumming it that in the first instance, Umahi’s uncontrollable greed with its attendant primitive acquisition of wealth, mainly by deliberate amassing of public funds, led him to join the ruling party in order to avoid being harassed or threatened by the party which has severally been accused of using anti-graft agencies to intimidate and harass opposition leaders.
“The welter of reactions and condemnations that have so far greeted Umahi’s weird desire for another President like Buhari- a man who has pillaged the Nigerian economy to almost beyond redemption, promoted ethnicity and hatred, perculiarly for the Igbos whom Umahi pretends to lead as the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum amidst the worrisome insecurity, fears and unbridled apprehensions Nigerians have been daily made to live in by a Buhari Government that had vowed to end Boko Haram in just a matter of months upon ascension to power in 2015 proves the unpopularity of both the government and it’s fading bootlickers cum sycophantic obsequious conformists which have become an art for Umahi and his few co-travellers.
“It is utterly saddening but not very surprising that the comment is coming from the Governor of a State like Ebonyi, whose sad economic realities show it has remained the poorest in every index of human capital development in the entire Southern Nigeria.
“Yet, Umahi in his customary effing is desperately busy ass-licking the North with a vague promise that he would be made to occupy Nigeria’s seat of power in 2023. Ironically, this sad comment, which we believe is not really borne out of Umahi’s lack of understanding of the realities of the pains of the Nigerian masses but rather buttresses how sycophantic Umahi is as a leader, preferring to live consistently in a fool’s paradise just to curry favour and continue in his blind pursuit of ambition”, the statement added.
“With his shocking excellent assessment of Buhari’s government, Nigerians can now see that Umahi cannot really be any better than the man he idolises amidst the lack and endemic cum anthropogeni poverty that both the government at the centre and in Ebonyi has created. This alone should bring to an end his jamboree pursuit (on behalf of Igbos as he often feigns) of a Presidential ambition.”
While expressing disappointment and demanding retraction by the governor, the group said Ebonyians can no longer stomach the shame of such “unguarded comments.”
“We at AESID which has remained a frontline advocacy group just like the rest of reasonable Ebonyians are ashamed of the Governor’s weird comments and hereby demands he withdraws same with profuse apologies; first to Ebonyians and then, the generality of Nigerians within 48 hours. Else, we don’t see how he can be exonerated from the plights the Buhari government has made our Igbo brothers and sisters suffer, including the security threats, harassments and intimidations which our South East Region has suffered under Buhari’s administration.”
“We conclude by reiterating our belief that this should happen first and foremost before he proceeds for a psychiatric evaluation as rightly recommended by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike,” he added.
The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has described as unfortunate and disappointing comment credited to the state governor, David Umahi, wherein he prayed and expressed a wish for God to give Nigeria another President like Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The group demanded that the governor should apologise to Nigerians.
In a statement signed on Monday by the group’s president, Amb. Paschal Oluchukwu, he said from indication, the governor allegedly made the statement out of sycophancy and bootlicking.
Umahi was reported to have made the statement while addressing State House correspondents after an official visit to the President at the Presidential villa, Abuja last week.
The Ebonyi indigenes, however said: “It was not surprising to us and the rest of reasonable Ebonyians that the said comments and wish attracted the kinds of umbrage of negative reactions from various segments of the Nigerian public who have worn the Buhari shoe in the last six years and therefore know where it truly pinches them. Any wonder many have attributed the sad comments as one coming from a leader seeking political survival.
“First is that we may even wish to clarify that Umahi is rather seeking for political protection from the centre having lost touch with realities and his people. We have been drumming it that in the first instance, Umahi’s uncontrollable greed with it’s attendant primitive acquisition of wealth mainly by deliberate amassing of public funds led him to join the ruling party in order to avoid being harassed or threatened by the party which has severally been accused of using anti-graft agencies to intimidate and harass opposition leaders.
“The welter of reactions and condemnations that has so far greeted Umahi’s weird desire for another President like Buhari- a man who has pillaged the Nigerian economy to almost beyond redemption, promoted ethnicity and hatred, particularly for the Igbos whom Umahi pretends to lead as the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum amidst the worrisome insecurity, fears and unbridled apprehensions Nigerians have been daily made to live in by a Buhari Government that had vowed to end Boko Haram in just a matter of months upon ascension to power in 2015 proves the unpopularity of both the government and it’s fading bootlIckers cum sycophantic obsequious conformists which has become an art for Umahi and his few co-travellers.
“It is utterly saddening but not very surprising that the comment is coming from the Governor of a State like Ebonyi whose sad economic realities shows it has remained the poorest in every indices of human capital development in the entire Southern Nigeria.
“Yet, Umahi in his customary effing is desperately busy ass-licking the North with a vague promise that he would be made to occupy Nigeria’s seat of power in 2023. Ironically, this sad comment, which we believe is not really borne out of Umahi’s lack of understanding of the realities of the pains of the Nigerian masses but rather buttresses how sycophantic Umahi is as a leader, preferring
to live consistently in a fool’s paradise just to curry favour and continue in his blind pursuit of ambition.
“With his shocking excellent assessment of Buhari’s government, Nigerians can now see that Umahi cannot really be any better than the man he idolises amidst the lack and endemic cum anthropogenic poverty that both the government at the centre and in Ebonyi has created. This alone should bring to an end his jamboree pursuit (on behalf of Igbos as he often feigns) of a Presidential ambition.”
While expressing disappointment and demanding retraction by the governor, the group said Ebonyians can no longer stomach the shame of such “unguarded comments.”
“We at AESID which has remained a frontline advocacy group just like the rest of reasonable Ebonyians are ashamed of the Governor’s weird comments and hereby demands he withdraws same with profuse apologies; first to Ebonyians and then, the generality of Nigerians within 48 hours. Else, we don’t see how he can be exonerated from the plights the Buhari government has made our Igbo brothers and sisters suffer, including the security threats, harassments and intimidations which our South East Region has suffered under Buhari’s administration.”
“We conclude by reiterating our belief that this should happen first and foremost before he proceeds for a psychiatric evaluation as rightly recommended by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike,” he added.
The Tide source reports that the committee, reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, is making moves to reclaim the Wadata Plaza headquarters months after it was sealed following a violent clash between rival factions of the party.
Senior officers at the FCT Police Command told our source that while they had not received an official briefing, police personnel would be stationed at the secretariat and other key locations to maintain peace.
The Acting National Secretary of the Mohammed-led committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, announced last week that the secretariat would reopen for official activities on Monday (today).
He dismissed claims that ongoing litigation would prevent the reopening, saying, “There are no legal barriers preventing the caretaker committee from resuming work at the party’s headquarters.”
However, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) has fiercely rejected the reopening move, insisting that Sen. Anyanwu and his group remain expelled from the PDP and have no authority to act on its behalf.
Speaking with The Tide source, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, declared: “They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto.
“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit.”
Mr Ememobong further revealed that letters had been sent to both the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, stressing that the matter was still in court and warning against any attempt to “resort to self-help.”
“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” he said.
He warned that reopening the secretariat would amount to contempt of court.
A senior officer at the FCT Police Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that officers would be deployed to the area to avert a repeat of the November 19 violence that led to the secretariat’s initial closure.
“The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else. Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground,” he said.
Another officer added, “There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said she had not been briefed on the planned reopening and declined to comment on whether officers would be deployed.
Asked to confirm whether the secretariat was initially sealed by police, she responded, “Yes,” but refused to say more about the current deployment plans.
The Kano State House of Assembly has debunked the purported impeachment plan against the Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo.
The Tide source recalls that the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, recently sparked controversy during an interview session with a local radio station.
Mr Waiya called on the deputy governor to resign for failing to follow his principal, Gov. Abba Yusuf, in defecting from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, the spokesperson to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Kamaluddeen Shawai, while addressing journalists in Kano on Saturday, described reports circulating in some media outlets about Mr Gwarzo’s impeachment as baseless and misleading, emphasising that no such plan is underway.
Mr Shawai further stated that the House remains focused on its legislative duties and oversight functions rather than engaging in speculative political manoeuvres.
The spokesperson urged members of the public and the media to verify information before sharing it, stressing the importance of accurate reporting in maintaining political stability in the state.
He said, “There is absolutely no motion or initiative within the House to remove the deputy governor.
“These reports are false and should be disregarded by the public. The deputy governor continues to serve in his capacity with full support from the House.
“Our priority is good governance and serving the people of Kano, not circulating rumours.”
She made the declaration during an interview with Nigerian football legend, Mr Segun Odegbami, during a live radio interview on Saturday.
Prof. Obasanjo, who is also former commissioner in the state, ruled out a return to the Senate, stating that her focus was firmly on the governorship race.
“So, moving ahead, I’m not going to be Commissioner. Like I said, I’m not even going back to the same party because I think that’s old and I don’t see the use of it. And I’m not going to go back to the Senate,” she said.
“Like the Americans would say, there’s no need. And this is what I told my associates, when this all started. I said, the only thing I’ll come back to do is the governorship.
“And we have started that journey. We are going to see it through. And so that’s the journey I’m on. And we are very serious about it. I mean we are very dedicated to it.”
The politician also confirmed that she recently joined the APC, explaining that her return to active politics followed persistent calls from supporters.
“Like I told you, a group of people who I did not bring together, have been working, I think, for two years now. And then they started talking to me about a year ago, saying, ‘Look, we think you are the best candidate. We want you back,’” she added.
Her declaration sets the stage for what may become a keenly contested governorship race in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 elections.
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