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Umahi replies Wike, accuses Rivers governor of ‘remote-controlling’ PDP

Mr Umahi was reacting to an accusation by Mr Wike that he left the PDP out of desperation to be president in 2023.

ByJames Eze November 18, 2020 2 min read
The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has described his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, as a dictator whose actions are ‘destroying’ the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Umahi was reacting to a statement credited to Mr Wike who said he (Umahi) left the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because of his desperation to be president of the country in 2023.

Mr Umahi spoke on an Arise TV interview programme on Wednesday.

He said Mr Wike’s “dictatorial tendencies and overbearing influence on the party’s affairs had made other governors to be unhappy with him”.

He warned Mr Wike to desist from attacking him “as it would be very dangerous if both of them continue attacking each other.”

Mr Umahi said: “I refused to join issues with Wike because he is my friend. But Wike must know that he is a dictator. Wike must know that one person cannot be called a crowd. Wike must know that a lot of governors in PDP are not very happy with him. He remote controls the party.

“He (Wike) said that I made my brother the Vice Chairman. I fund the PDP South-east from A to Z. And he has forgotten that he singlehandedly made Secondus the (PDP) Chairman. He has forgotten that he wanted to impose one of his own as minority leader of the house.

“There is nothing that happens in PDP without his authorisation. He once said that PDP National Working Committee members are beggars and bribe takers. I have asked him that let’s not take on ourselves or else it will be very dangerous.

“So let’s us face the party, the party does not belong to him. And this is by no means personal and he is demonstrating the dictatorial tendencies in him by taking on me, a fellow governor. And that is very shameful.”

Mr Umahi warned that more governors would leave the PDP fold “unless there is a change in the mode of doing things in the PDP”.

Wike remote-controlling PDP
The Ebonyi governor also accused his Rivers counterpart of ‘remote-controlling’ the PDP.

“APC does more consultation. Anybody can contravene this that PDP working committee is being remote-controlled and that is the truth and it is very dangerous and all the governors know that.

“You (Wike) cannot stay in your state and you will be remote-controlling what happens in other states. Unless that changes you will see a lot of governors leaving the party,” he warned.

He, however, said “he will be a happy man if a president of South-east is elected in 2023 even if that person is not him.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Umahi recently said he left the opposition party because it had not been fair to his region in the allotment of political offices, especially the presidency.

The party had dismissed his claim noting that the region, including Mr Umahi, had occupied many top positions since 1999.

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