The Ebonyi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged a House of Representatives member, Hon Iduma Igariway, to stop parading himself as governor. The party also berated Igariway’s addition of “His Excellency” to his name.
Igariway was nominated by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to replace Governor David Umahi as governor after a Federal High Court presided by Justice Inyang Ekwo sacked Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe from office over his defection from the PDP to the APC.
According to APC in a statement signed by APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Ogbuatu Chidi Simbad, no one can become a governor of a state through appointment.
He then charged the lawmaker to desist from parading himself as a governor, adding that the state only has one governor in the person of David Umahi.
The statement reads “The attention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ebonyi State has been drawn to a broad daylight insanity and arrogation of the title “His Excellency” by Idu Igariwe to his name who claims to be governor.
“Ordinarily, we would have elected to remain calm but we see the need to make some clarifications as thus:
“That Idu Igariway is not the governor of Ebonyi State and can never be as no one has ever become governor of a state through appointment since the return of democracy in Nigeria and as such should desist forthwith arrogating himself as the governor of Ebonyi State.
“That if Idu Igariway has the interest to contest, which is not possible since it is not the turn of Ebonyi South to produce the next governor of Ebonyi State, he should, first of all, resign his elective position as member representing Afikpo North/Afikpo South Federal Constituency at the green chamber.
“That he (Idu) should know that the office of the governor is not for loafers and dementias but for men of great character, honour and willpower to take their immediate society to the next level.
“That we are very much aware of the frustration that he (Idu) lost the grip of his constituents as a result of his brutish lifestyle and as such his desire to remain in power after 2023 election became truncated.
“We are using this opportunity to remind Mr idu Idariway and those misleading him that Ebonyi State still has an active governor, His Excellency, Engr Chief David Nweze Umahi Fnse, fnate, whose tenure will end come 2023.
“Henceforth, he should desist from arrogating himself with the name His Excellency and granting of the press release as the governor of Ebonyi State.
“That we only have one governor and he is His Excellency, Engr. Chief David Nweze Umahi FNSE FNATE who is the progressive leader of APC Ebonyi State, Governor of Ebonyi State, Chairman South East Governor’s forum and Co-Chairman South-South Governor’s Forum.
“That the good people of Ebonyi State are fully determined to defend the mandate which they gave to His Excellency, Engr Chief David Nweze Umahi within the breadth and length of the law if he continues to parade himself in this unlawful manner.”
• Says Wike’s statement on Umahi’s sack an affront to judiciary
Meanwhile, the party described, as an affront on the nation’s judiciary, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State’s comments on the removal of Umahi using the Supreme Court.
Recall that Wike had at an event vowed that his party PDP will stop at nothing legally in ensuring that Umahi was removed as Ebonyi governor for defecting to APC.
The APC state Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha, stated this in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Abakaliki on Sunday.
The statement read: “It is a measure of the rot in our Democracy that a Governor of a state will have no qualms in publicly reprimanding and threatening to deal with a fellow Governor over an issue that is before a court of competent jurisdiction. It speaks to the malaise in Nigeria’s judiciary and further lends credible credence to the insinuations that our judicial system is indeed being manipulated by some powerful forces against the ordinary Nigerians.
“Governor David Umahi has since appealed the judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja while hoping that the appellate courts will upturn the ruling of the lower court because it is not in consonance with any of the already established legal precedents on the issue of defection in the country.
“Having said that, Nigerians are however invited to note that the current travails of Governor David Umahi has nothing whatsoever to do with offending any law, but a clear case of political enemies persecuting a performing governor because of his rising political profile as indicated by the utterances of Governor Wike.
“Wike should know that it is God that lifts and not mortals like him. So, no amount of his evil plots will be portent enough as to be able to dislodge nor remove a serving governor who was single-handedly installed by God Himself for a unique purpose for His people.”
