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.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.