I’ve no Plans to Rig Any Election in 2023-Umahi

From Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki

Governor David Umahi has expressed the readiness of his administration to allow a level play field for all political parties come 2023 general elections in Ebonyi State.

Umahi stated this on Monday while reacting against the statement credited to the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Debo Ologunagba, accusing him of using his power as a governor to be “terrorising innocent Nigerians, especially, the PDP members in a desperate bid to create fear, panic and siege mentality on citizens of Ebonyi State as a prelude to rigging the 2023 general elections,” among other allegations.

But Umahi’s Media Aide, Mr Francis Nwaze in a statement on Monday, said that his Principal had no plan to rig any election in 2023, describing him as the most tolerant administrator in the country.

“Governor David Umahi has been acclaimed the most tolerant administrator in Nigeria and so could not be said to be anthemic to the opposition. His Excellency acknowledges the fact that he is governor of all irrespective of political parties, hence, giving all in the state the level playing field to operate.

“The governor has no plans of rigging the 2023 general elections as alleged by the PDP. He has variously insisted that the decision of who replaces him in 2023 would be made by the people themselves and not the other way round,” Nwaze said.

Nwaze explained that “the Ebubeagu Security outfit is not a militia group as alleged by the PDP but a Citizen-based neighborhood Security established by the Law of the House of Assembly which has attracted widespread encomiums for their roles in assisting the Police and other conventional Security Agencies in stamping out insecurity in the State.”

He noted that the Ebubeagu Security outfit was not set up to witch-hunt the opposition but to provide alternative security to the lives and property of all citizens irrespective of political party affiliations.

In his observation, “those who fear or feel unease about the Ebubeagu Security outfit are probably those who meddle in criminalities who wouldn’t want their criminal escapades to be unearthed by the effervescent Security outfit. That the arrest of the embattled Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Nwoba Chika Nwoba was not orchestrated by Governor Umahi as alleged by the opposition Party, rather, he was caught up for allegedly defaulting a valid law of the land

“That the Ebonyi state government as it stands has no immunity to comment further on the detained Nwoba Chika Nwoba as his case is already subsisting in a Court of competent jurisdiction.
That Honourable Linus Okorie was declared wanted by the Security Council of the state based on a security report about his alleged nefarious activities which run foul of valid laws.”

Umahi’s Media Aide urged the PDP to learn how to channel their agitations properly through the Court process instead of castigating his Boss, whom he said, has since moved on from the protection of the depleted Umbrella in the State to a very progressive pedestal of unending peace and oneness under the ruling APC in the country.