Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State on Friday, described the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi/ Ahmed Datti’s movement as anchored on God’s will
Umahi, who was assessing the chances of Obi/Datti Presidency, stated that “it is only God who knows who will win.”
The Ebonyi State Governor, who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this on Friday, while answering questions from State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Umahi added, “as a party man, I wish our party wins. And if God says no, the next person I wish that should win is Peter Obi.”
Umahi said that the north has no moral justification for seeking the office of the President in 2023, adding, “I believe strongly and I will say it anywhere, in this north, south presidency, after the north has taken eight years, there is no moral justification for the north to be seeking to take another eight years; it should go to the south.
“And so, I’m not wishing Peter Obi away. God has the final say and he has the power and gives to whomever He wishes.”
Speaking on whether there is a link between Obi’s entrance into the Presidential race and the reduction of violent killings in the South East, Umahi said that there is no link between the two developments.
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“You cannot technically assign reduction in the killings to Obi’s entrance into the Presidential race,” adding that it was more of a reflection of improved security across the country
“You can see that security generally is improving in the country. And it has nothing to do with the movement of Peter Obi. Peter Obi movement is a movement that is anchored on equity, justice and fairness.
“It may not translate to outright win because I must defend my party; I must wish my party well and I’m having the ticket of my party. So, but whether what he is doing has meaning, not only South East, it does have meaning. So, we must never attribute the killings in South East to this kind of movement,” he said.
On the chances of Obi/Datti Presidency in 2023, Umahi said: “Everyone has chances of winning and chances of losing but you must always have a wish.”
According to him, “What happened during the primaries of PDP and APC, were a kind of miscalculation by people, but to say whether they’re ready for the presidency of the country anytime, I think that the movement of Peter Obi is an eye opener.
“That’s why I said, I love what he’s doing. I’m encouraged by what he’s doing. Because if he’s not doing what he’s doing, it means that South East would have been forgotten.
“So, why my party takes the victory, he would have prepared a very good ground for the South East Presidency; so that nobody is going to write us off.
“You can see the level of his acceptability, which may not translate to victory over APC. I’m sure of that, but it’s a good movement. And it reassures the South East people and the entire country that we are accepted; you know; that we will one day become the president of this country. It is very important.”
