Following viral reports quoting Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state as saying that he belonged to both Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC), the PDP Governors Forum has affirmed that he was not capable of working against the party that brought him to office.
A statement issued by the Director-General, Osaro Onaiwu, in Abuja on Tuesday, condemned the reports as blatant falsehood designed to tarnish the governor’s image.
The statement maintained that Umahi was a core party man who would defend the principles of the PDP.
“It is blatant falsehood packaged to tarnish his image and put a smile on the faces of the sponsors and author of the publication,” the statement said.
It added: “The news circulating online that our dear member-governor, H.E. Engr. David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State said he belongs to both the PDP and APC is a blatant falsehood aimed at tarnishing the image of the governor and as well derailing him from his focus. The author of that publication acted in bad fate, with malice and certainly with an ulterior and sinister motive.
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“On several occasions and at all times even in the face of stiff opposition and blackmail, Gov. Umahi has always proven to be a committed party man. He loves the party; he loves the PDP Governors Forum, and they in turn love and cherish the friendship and bond between them.
“It is, therefore, no gainsaying that all there is about 2023, but may we hasten to add that there are more civilized and cultured ways to go about it. Yes, he like every other key-player in the political arena, may have his ambitions and dreams upon the end of his current service tenure in 2023; he may aspire for any of the offices at the Presidential Villa, which of course he is constitutionally fit and qualified for, but that will certainly be on the platform of the PDP.
“We have enough reasons and instances to believe that he may have been quoted out of context in the now-viral online publication. We smell mischief. We see the handiwork of detractors who are too scared of his credentials and constantly growing legacies so far attained in governance in Ebonyi State. We perceive falsehood from the pit of hell taken too far by those who are envious of the numerous gigantic projects his administration is handling; detractors who hate the fact that in the past four, going to five years, Ebonyi State has now become a huge construction site for infrastructural development too numerous to mention.
“Finally, we wish to emphatically state that Governor Umahi is 100% and above dedicated to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We can boldly say that he has never and will never indulge in the profanity of playing double standards, not with a party like PDP which he holds dear to his heart. He is and will always remain a revered Apostle of anti-party activities.”
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