By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General Desk)
All is set for the Ebonyi State Governor, Mr Dave Umahi to leave the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the national leadership of party had in the last few days tried in vain to convince him not to quit.
Umahi hinged his decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the ability of the party to serve the interest of the South-East in the 2023 elections.
It was gathered that Umahi told the members of the National Working Committee of the PDP at a meeting in Abuja, Tuesday, that his decision to join the APC was final.
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The members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), who were led to the meeting by its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, were said to have tried to convince the governor not to abandon the party but he held on to his decision.
Others that were at the meeting held at the Ebonyi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja include Deputy National Secretary, Mr Agbo Emmanuel; National Organising Secretary, Mr Austin Akobondu; Financial Secretary, Mr Abdullahi Maibasira; National Women Leader, Mariya Waziri and Senator Suleiman Nazif.
The PDP delegation made effort to convince Umahi that there was no need leaving the PDP for the APC, which they argued had become unpopular.
According to sources at the meeting, Umahi was not convinced on the reasons to rescind his decision, insisting that the APC was planning to zone the 2023 presidency to the South-East.
He said he would only remain in the PDP if the party could make a pronouncement that it would zone the presidency to the same zone (South East).
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“I think his (the governor) mind was made up. We told him there was no need for him to abandon the party that had made him a deputy governor, state chairman of the party, two-time governor and all that but he refused.
“He wanted us to unilaterally zone the office of the presidency to his area. We cannot do that. Parties are not run that way. He told us he was leaving. That is what we got from him,” one of the sources said.
Secondus who confirmed that the party’s leadership met with Umahi, however refused to shed more light on the details of the meeting, insisting that the meeting was based on national issues.
Governor Umahi is believed to be a supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari for years and some of his colleagues in PDP, had casted aspersions on him on being a friend of the President and noted he might leave the party some day for the Buhari-led APC.
