Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State fears that President Muhammadu Buhari may disappoint the southeast on the allocation of the 2023 presidential ticket of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) to the zone. The Ebonyi State governor on Friday revealed that he deliberately defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the political platform that brought him to the limelight, to the APC purposely because of the 2023 presidential ticket.
Governor Umahi in his desperation for president failed to admit the workings of justice, equity and the promotion of national interest as exist in the PDP before defecting to APC on protest. He ignored the fact that in the 16 years of the PDP in power, the south had the president for 13 years while the north had the president for 3 years; and that equity and justice require that the north had less years and may need more time to catch up in the PDP.
Governor Umahi also ignored the fact that in the APC, there were alliances and political leaders that made enormous sacrifices and investments to bring the APC into existence and ensure victory for the party in 2015.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for instance, which controlled six states and was the leading opposition in the National Assembly after the 2011 general elections, had to concede to the APC alliance and further cede the presidential ticket to current President Muhammadu Buhari, then leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which had one governor and few members in the National Assembly.
However, the protectionist PDP governors, National Assembly members and other leaders (nPDP), that were co opted into the APC, really reinforced the APC against the PDP, but Governor Umahi was not in the train. The Ebonyi governor may need to convince the APC on the political investment or sacrifice of the southeast in the party that supersedes other legacy parties and coalitions which would make him feel bad if APC does not cede the 2023 presidential ticket to the zone.
Meanwhile, Governor Umahi on Friday expressed how bad he would feel if the ruling APC does not cede the 2023 presidential ticket to the southeast.
Umahi was cited to have declared: “The heartbeat of the people of the southeast is that they should be given a chance whether in the PDP or the APC for Presidency of this country for the reason of equity, fairness and justice.
“I took that position in the PDP and one of the reasons why I took that position is because the southeast people have supported the PDP all the way and they have never been given any opportunity to do that.
“If I follow APC for this length of time, and they don’t give the southeast an opportunity, I will feel bad.
“I will feel bad if I stay the same length of time as I did in the PDP and that happens. But I can’t say what I will do. It depends on what God places in my mind.” he added.
Before Governor Umahi defected from the PDP to the APC in November 2020, the party brought him up from nowhere to state chairman, deputy governor and governor of Ebonyi State. He became a member of the APC as a governor in his second tenure.
However, political opportunities are not given, they are contested by the various factions and coalitions in particular political parties.