By Eze Jude .O
Since his shocking, yet predicted defection from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), things seem not to have been smooth for the workaholic governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency, Engr. David Nweze Umahi.
The rumor of his intended defection was there many months before his November 19, 2020 defection to the APC. But due to his infrastructural development strides in the state, he was already famed as the 'bride" of the media; and so his jumping of ship could not be chastised much. However, considering the popularity of PDP in the southeast, pundits predicted hard times for him, as almost all the major political stakeholders of Ebonyi politics did not only refuse to join him but remained diehard PDP members. This engendered a sort of cold war, ongoing between him and them. But some of the stakeholders are gradually beginning to pitch tenth with the governor in his new party abode.
This cult followership that PDP enjoys in the geopolitical zone was why it may be difficult for him to maintain/sustain strategic influence on the political ecosystem of the state, as he did in the past six years. He is currently engaged in silent battles with Ebonyi political heavyweights particularly those he was formerly within the PDP. Some of them are former governor, and two-term serving Senator, Dr. Sam Egwu, former senate president and former SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim, former commissioner and two-term Senator, Obinna Ogba, two-term serving House member, Hon. Iduma Igariwey etc, to prove that they are independent of anyone's political control or influence in the state.
The Governor's recent alarm that these caucuses are cultists, and are sponsoring IPOB to cause insurrection in Ebonyi, was perceived in some quarters to have complicated issues for him with the PDP leaders in the state. Some of these chieftains in the state saw the governor's allegations against them as indiscretions. This compelled Senator Anyim to pen down a devastating ten-page disclaimer tagged "Open Letter To Gov. Umahi" against the allegation, copying the Inspector General of police, the Director-General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS), etc.
Part of the fallout of his departure from PDP is some news that has been emerging which seems to be confirming the feelers that back home, Umahi may have it tough in the coming years or election season if there is no deliberate attempt at political rapprochement between them.
Immediately after his defection, he was fingered in an alleged questionable award of several contracts in the state. It was being alleged that while he can easily be voted for the best performing governor award anywhere, he allegedly awarded the contracts for many of those projects to his own company, which runs against the Bureau of public procurement Act. In those instances, he posed as both the seller and buyer of government contracts at the same time. The authenticity of those alleged contracts award is yet to be verified.
And just as, that allegation was dying down, there emerged the unpalatable news of him gifting more than three hundred 25kg bags of rice to one of the Directors in a Federal Ministry in Abuja, during the Yuletide. The driver conveying the goods was said to have 'missed' his way and landed at the office of Berekete Human Rights Organization in the same Abuja. The founder and director of the Non-Governmental Organization -- the irrepressible Ahmed Isah, allegedly took hold of the goods.
The organization which owns the Human rights radio 101.5 FM Abuja (popularly called Hembelembe radio) went viral with the infamous act. Though no one knew what happened backstage, from December 29, 2020, the radio, by its programs, indicated that the Governor is at loggerheads with Ahmed Isah over the source and whereabouts of the consignment.
As the radio station is escalating the scandal, a group known as Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora (AESID) released a statement saying that it is obloquious opprobrium on the part of the Governor to allegedly use government funds and divert Christmas bounty for the patronage of any kind, whether for self or even state interest, at the expense of the Ebonyi masses who continue to live in hunger and abject penury.
In fact, this is the full gist as reported by Daily Independent:
"A non-governmental group, Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora (AESID) has condemned a recent viral video of a truckload of rice purportedly sent by the Ebonyi State government to Human Rights Radio, Abuja.
"The group expressed shock and displeasure at the incident in which the items said to be meant for a serving Federal Director as Christmas largesse was mistakenly taken to the radio station.
"In the video, the distressed driver of the truck who conveyed the items from the state capital in Abakiliki was seen lamenting that his payment for the delivery was stalled because he delivered the rice to the wrong address.
"A situation that made the Head of the radio station, Ahmed Isah to promise to buy up the goods if the state government comes up to make a claim.
"Isah popularly called “Ordinary President” offered to pay the driver N50, 000 for the delivery and expressed disappointment in the state government gift of 300 bags of branded 25kg rice to just one rich individual when poor civil servants in the state are living in abject poverty.
"However, in a reaction through a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, its President Amb. Pascal Oluchukwu said his group is troubled by what he described as “uncommon but shameful Father Christmas behavior of Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi and his aides.”
The group said the action has betrayed every logic of compassion “How Ebonyi State government would give out less than 5kg bags of rice per two civil servants in some cases and one bag of the same less than 5kg in others to its workers but sent a massive 300 bags of rice to just a single Director in the Federal Civil Service who ordinarily can afford what to eat this yuletide.
“We also recall that the same Governor Umahi promised civil servants N10, 000 each as their Christmas bonus. We reliably gathered the promise is yet to be redeemed as at the time of going to press." - culled from independent.ng
While that was still raising dust, the same Berekete organization is receiving and treating reports of alleged human rights abuses and high-handedness in office against the Governor from the Ebonyi indigenes.
This was also coming on the heels of a panic situation in Abakaliki during the Christmas and new year festivities, when Fulani herders and the natives were said to be at dagger-drawn with each other, following a case of alleged mob action against the herders in their settlement at Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.
The Governor acted swiftly and convened an emergency security meeting of the state where he dismissed the video as 'fake', while suing for peace in the state and also pacifying the Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and assuring them and indeed all Ebonyi residents that a state is a peaceful place for all.
However, all these stories and complaints were not heard until the governor defected to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). What is happening? Who indeed is after governor Dave Umahi?
It appears, from the foregoing, that Gov. Umahi's life after joining the APC is seemingly reflective of the central character in the popular literary book by Prof. Anezi Okoro titled "One week one trouble." Indeed it has been one trouble after another for the number one citizen of Ebonyi state; a chain of unsettling callous spells of events. Are these incidents coincidental or just politically motivated to rubbish him for ditching PDP for the APC?
Even in Umahi's APC abode, the Governorship flagbearer of the party in the 2019 elections, Senator Sunny Ogbuoji (as reported by the Nations Newspaper) released a statement recently, threatening fire and brimstone against what he described as governor Umahi's moves to control the party in the state. This is despite the fact that most political parties, since the beginning of the current democratic and political dispensation in Nigeria in 1999, have given legal rights of the leadership position of their parties in the state chapters to the governors.
It leaves to be seen if Governor Umahi will get a respite soon or whether his political relevance in Ebonyi and among his people, will wane with time. Whatever emerging scenario will definitely indicate whether his recent defection from the PDP to the APC was a miscalculated political adventure. The days ahead, certainly, could be more revealing.
May daylight spare us.
...Eze Jude O, is a Laboratory scientist and public affairs analyst. NNL.
