With Ebonyi state Governor, Dave Umahi, the All Progressives Congress is inheriting a burden of deceitfulness, dictatorial tendencies and perpetually questionable loyalty which was being managed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Hon Teejay Yusuf who represents Ijumu/Kabba-Bunu Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives made this declaration in a statement he issued on Saturday.
The top ranking lawmker said”At last, the yoke of deep character flaws, puzzling over commitment to self at the expense of party and troubling anti-people tendencies that we coped with is about to be cast off the PDP,” Honourable Yusuf said.
The legislator criticised leaders of his own party, the PDP for allowing Gov Umahi a second term even after his character flaws and dictatorial tendencies had started manifesting, adding that Umahi’s romance with APC likely began since 2015.
Commending members of the Ebonyi state House of Assembly who have chosen to steadfastly desist from joining what he described as ‘Umahi’s political misadventure’, Hon Yusuf emphasized that no serious political party will entertain the delusion of seeing carpet-crossing Ebonyi state Governor, Dave Umahi as its presidential candidate.
According to the legislator, it is wrong for Umahi to try project his vaunting personal political ambition as an Igbo cause, especially when APC has not declared any intention to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the South East zone.
“A deceitful man carrying around a perpetually bruised ego is the worst element to consider for presidential candidature in the worst political party that ever existed.
“Umahi’ s dictatorial tendencies got unmasked in Ebonyi state where the governor could order an arrest for simply observing a loved one’s wake-keep and then try to ban journalists for life, just because they reported happenings in the state.
“Even after benefiting so much from a political party that continuously tolerated his known tendencies for so long, Umahi had the guts to tell the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Tuesday that he was leaving the party.
“In a move that the International Press Centre (IPC) described as “executive lawlessness”, Umahi did a state-wide live broadcast where he stated that he was banning for life, the state correspondent of ‘The Sun’ newspaper, Chijioke Agwu, and his Vanguard counterpart, Peter Okutu, from entering the Ebonyi Government House or any other government facility within the state.
“Mr. Agwu’ s only offence was that he did a report on the Lassa Fever outbreak in Ebonyi state, and Mr Okutu reported on an alleged crisis in Ohaukwu local government area.
“Indeed, how many other governors threaten journalists with “koboko” (horse whip) and how many governors’ actions has the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) described as an unfortunate and sad reminder of the rule by force under military regimes?
“Why should a governor order the indiscriminate shooting of those who elected him, if anyone of them dares hinder his convoy’s passing on the road?
“Although he bowed to pressure and withdrew his rather dictatorial pronouncements, Governor Umahi’s capacity to tolerate people’s genuine exercise of democratic rights remains questionable.
“Someone with such character deficits can never be an asset but a liability to facilitate his party’s defeat; nobody in PDP should bemoan losing Umahi and his baggage of political misadventure to any other party”, Hon Teejay Yusuf stated.