Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has finally cleared the air on the misunderstanding people had about the South East leaders’ statement on the emergence of former governor of Anambara state Mr Peter Obi as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s running mate, come 2019 general election.
Governor Umahi who entertained question from journalist in Abakaliki emphasized that South East leaders were never against Obi but rather expressed displeasure that the leaders of the zone were not consulted.
He said,”We have never said that Obi is not good for us, we have nothing against Obi but we want when decisions that concern us are being taken, we want to be part of that decision.
“The Five names for Vice President slot should have been five names from the five South East states but there was no name from Ebonyi and Imo states. I fight against marginalization. If we are going to vote, we must be treated with equity. These are the issues. Two names came from Anambra, one from Enugu and one from Abia.
“So, what is wrong in having someone from Ebonyi and then one from Imo? He queried.
Umahi then added, “Nobody is against Obi. The leaders of Ndigbo are saying that when decisions are taken and you invite people from other regions, invite people from south east.
Ebonyi state Governor maintained that the southeast leaders must sit with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and if all must have to work together, the leaders must be part of the decision making.
“When my Chief Press Secretary (CPS) issued a statement congratulating Obi, the zone’s leaders started calling me, saying that I have made the VP alone.
“I had to issue a counter statement telling them that I was not consulted before the statement was released and that it was an honest mistake from the CPS.
“I cannot endorse Obi alone and I’m confident that in further decisions, the Igbo man must be consulted.
“If the position I had was my sin, I cannot repent from it,” he said.
