Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi have both engaged in heated arguments over the continued closure of the PDP head office in the state.
Atiku, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had on Thursday called out Umahi for allegedly closing the PDP Secretariat in Ebonyi months after dumping the party.
The 2019 presidential candidate described the alleged action of Umahi as unjust and illegal.
Atiku also called on the Governor to immediately release the Publicity Secretary of the party, Nwoba Chika Nwoba, who has been remanded in police custody for alleged fake news and cybercrime.
He had said, ”I remember vividly when I came here on two, three occasions, the first one was when I was contesting for chairman of the party, the Engineer, this Governor met me at Abuja after I have visited here to plead with me to step down for the chairmanship race for the overall interest of the party and in the overall interested of the federal government.
“This same man did not have sufficient patience when it comes to his own personal ambition of becoming the president, he moved in a brutal manner took the Secretariat the People’s Democratic Party, that is a very heinous act, that is the height of brutality and wickedness.
“And I call on him to at this point in time return the Secretariat to the PDP. Let me also call on him to immediately release the PDP officer whom he has taken to Court with trumped-up charges, we are all supposed to be democratic not tyrants. People have a right to a different opinion and most no be incriminated and dealt with in such heinous manner,” he said.
Umahi, in his reaction debunked having a hand in the continued closure of the PDP’s Secretariat.
Umahi, in a statement issued by his media aide, Francis Nwaze, said he knew nothing about the secretariat as he did not leave with any of the party’s belongings when he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in December 2020.
The Governor also urged Atiku and the PDP to focus on finding its Secretariat rather than disturbing his “focused administration”.
The statement partly reads, “The People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State should make efforts to first find the location of its Secretariat without involving the focused administration of Governor David Umahi, that is if it has a Secretariat as we are not aware of where they have permanent Secretariat in their name.
“That when Governor David Umahi left the party in November 2020, he did not leave with even a pin belonging to the Party.
“That so long as we understand the continued reference to Governor Umahi by the PDP long after his exit, is a sign that the Party misses his astute leadership acumen, we appeal to the Party to please find a soft landing as Governor Umahi has since moved on in his Progressive march to eldorado.”
On the continued detention of the spokesperson of the PDP, Nwoba Chika Nwoba, Umahi said he can’t say much on the matter that is already in court, adding that he won’t interfere in judiciary matters.
“That we are constrained to make further comments on the case of Nwoba Chika hence; his case is now pending in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“That the embattled Nwoba and his political party have the leeway to prove themselves innocent through the Court process instead of tempting the State Government to meddle in contempt of the Court.”
