Tobias Sylvester
Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has described his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, as a dictator who is ‘destroying and remote-controlling’ the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Umahi who spoke on Arise TV interview programme on Wednesday, was reacting to a statement credited to 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.
The Ebonyi Governor warned that if Wike does not desist from ‘remote-controlling’ the PDP, many governors will defect from the party, adding that many governors are not happy with Wike’s alleged dictatorial tendencies.
He also warned the Rivers Governor to desist from attacking him “as it would be very dangerous if both of them continue attacking each other.”
“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.”
Umahi warned that more governors would leave the PDP fold “unless there is a change in the mode of doing things in the PDP”. He 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.
Mr Umahi also said he is not desperate to be president of the country, contrary to Mr Wike’s assertion. He said “he will be a happy man if a president of South-east is elected in 2023 even if that person is not him.”
KanyiDaily recalls that Governor Umahi had announced his detection to the APC on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, saying his action was a protest against the “injustice” done to the South-East by the PDP.
