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 event, jointly organised by LP and ADC to publicly acknowledge the movement of party members, was first scheduled to hold at the LP secretariat in Idimu.
However, chaos erupted when more than 100 suspected thugs reportedly stormed the premises, forcing party members and officials to flee.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, some armed with knives, canes and other dangerous objects, assaulted individuals they encountered during the invasion.
The assailants were also heard chanting hostile slogans, declaring that LP and ADC were not welcome in Lagos State.
Several party members sustained injuries in the process, while party property, including furniture and flags, were vandalised.
Despite the disruption, officials of both parties quickly relocated the programme to an alternative venue, the Eco Centre Event Hall in Egbeda, in a bid to continue the ceremony.
Speaking on the incident, the LP Chairman in Alimosho, Mr Olanrewaju Olushola, popularly known as Heritage, condemned the attack, describing it as unprovoked and alarming, especially with the 2027 general elections approaching.
“What is most painful is that most of my members sustained varying degrees of wounds. This is in spite of the hoodlums going into our party secretariat in Alimosho and destroying our furniture and flags,” he said.
Mr Olushola clarified that the defection itself had already taken place, stressing that Saturday’s gathering was merely a symbolic ceremony to inform the public of their decision.
According to him, nearly all LP members in Alimosho, including the party’s leadership structure, had collectively agreed to move to the ADC.
Also speaking, the party’s Secretary in Alimosho, Mr Moses Akujuobi, explained that plans for an open defection ceremony had earlier been halted by the police, who cited the absence of formal approval.
He said the organisers had reached out to the Area M Commander, ACP Abaniwonda, who reportedly informed them that only the Commissioner of Police could authorise political events in the state.
“Incidentally, we could not reach the CP, but we informed the DSS, after which we went ahead since it wasn’t a rally but a quiet ceremony,” Mr Akujuobi said.
He added that the situation became more tense upon arrival at the initial venue.
“When we got to the venue this morning, we were shocked to see police vans with heavily armed policemen. They informed us that we cannot hold the event and referred us to the police commissioner.
“While we were at it, the hoodlums besieged the place and began to beat people, leading to our deserting the venue,” he explained.
Mr Akujuobi said party officials subsequently contacted members by phone to proceed to the second venue in Egbeda, where the programme resumed briefly.
“We, however, began to contact our members through phones to move to the second venue, which is the Eco Event Centre, and everyone witnessed what took place here.
“The hoodlums got wind of our second venue and equally attacked us, beating up our members again,” he added.
He noted that the decision to defect to the ADC was driven by internal leadership challenges within the Labour Party and protracted legal disputes affecting the party.
Shortly after the hoodlums vacated the second venue, several police vans carrying armed officers reportedly arrived at the location.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has strongly rejected calls by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, over comments he allegedly made on genocide.
The Fellowship described the demand as unjustified and a threat to constitutional freedoms.
In a statement signed by its National Secretary, Bishop David Bakare, the PFN insisted that Prof Amupitan, like every Nigerian, has the constitutional right to express his views on matters of national concern, irrespective of the public office he occupies.
According to the PFN, the comments attributed to the INEC Chairman were made in his personal capacity and had no link whatsoever with his official responsibilities or electoral duties.
The Fellowship stressed that elections and electoral activities were not involved in the matter, arguing that there was no basis to connect the alleged comments to Prof Amupitan’s role as INEC Chairman.
“We strongly oppose such calls because Prof. Amupitan, as a Nigerian, has the right to make comments on what he observes to be happening in the nation, regardless of his appointment or assignment,” the statement read.
The PFN said it condemned “in every ramification” the suggestion that the INEC Chairman should be removed from office on the basis of his personal views, warning against attempts to punish public officials for expressing opinions outside the scope of their official duties.
The Tide source reports that the Fellowship also cautioned against what it described as a growing tendency to interpret national issues through religious lenses, noting that such an approach only deepens divisions and undermines peaceful coexistence.
“We must resist the temptation of profiling or judging people based on their religious beliefs or positions. Prof. Amupitan has a right to bear his mind, and this should not be at the cost of his job,” the PFN added.
The PFN called on all stakeholders to exercise restraint, understanding and mutual respect in national discourse, particularly on sensitive issues.
It emphasised that unity and peace must remain paramount in addressing national challenges.
The Fellowship reaffirmed its commitment to fairness, justice and mutual respect, urging that these values guide public engagement and responses to issues affecting the country.
In A Statement Issued On Saturday, Mr Obiorah Ifoh, The Factional Spokesperson, Described The Decision Of The Electoral Body As Strange.
Mr Ifoh Also Said The Sacked Factional Leadership Of The Party Will Protest The Action Of INEC.
Stating That Judgment Of The Court And The Decision Of INEC Will Not Stop Its Members From Putting Up A Strong Appearance In The Forthcoming 2027 General Election, Mr Ifoh Noted Legal Redress Would Be Sought By LP.
He Said, “Some Persons Who Are Applauding The Impunity By Some Politicians Should Retrace And Do Some Introspection, Because This Was How In The Past They Applauded Injustice In Our Democracy Because They Were Beneficiaries.
“At The End Of The Day, When Their Enthroned Leaders Began To Abuse Power, They Started Complaining.
“For Us In Labour Party, Our Faith Is Strong That The Appellate Court Will Do The Right Thing And Therefore We Advise Our Members To Remain Calm. We Will Continue With The Struggle To Take Our Party From The Godfather,” Mr Ifoh Said.
He Also Stated That The Labour Party Is A Party Formed On The Basis Of Social Democracy Where No One Man Is Permitted To Appoint Everybody.
According To Him, It Is Against The Party’s Principles For “One Man To Sit At A Place And Gather Everybody And Appoint Everybody From The National Working Committee To The State.
“That Is Impunity Of The Highest Order. This, I Believe, Negates The Principles Of The Party.
“If We Say There Is No Party Ideology In Nigeria, This Is How It Starts. We Are Very Sure That It Will Be Quashed On Appeal,” He Added.
Mr Ifoh Also Described The Celebration And Excitement Showcased By Senator Nenadi Usman And The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti As Temporary.
He Said Dr Otti, Senator Usman And Their Cohorts’ Names Which Were Already Listed On INEC’s Portal Will Be Short-Lived.
“It Is For A Short Time. Their Victory Is Pyrrhic And There Is Nothing To Celebrate Because Doomsday Is Closer Than They Will Imagine; Which I Believe Will Be Very Catastrophic For Them.
“Moreover, It Is Very Clear That The Appointment Of The Caretaker Committee Did Not Go Through The Normal Procedure. Proper Notice Was Not Given In Line With The Party Constitution And The Electoral Act,” He Said.
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