By Dipo Olowookere
The last may not have been heard of the recent defection of Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Pius Anyim, has lambasted the Governor for his porting to the ruling party from the opposition.
The former Senate President, while reacting to the issue, claimed the “greed and inordinate ambition” of the Governor will sink him, adding that Mr Umahi was making efforts to blackmail others who did not defect with him.
Recall that last Friday, the Governor, after the state security council meeting, accused Mr Anyim and others, including Senators Sam Egwu and Obinma Ogba, and PDP acting Vice-Chairman, South-east, Ali Odefa, of plotting to use members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to unleash mayhem in the state.
But Mr Anyim, in an open letter on Monday to President Muhammadu Buhari, Inspector-General of Police; Director-General, Department of State Services, and the Chief of Defence Staff, claimed that Governor Umahi was raising dust to “divert the attention of the public before he strikes.”
“In his delusion, he believed his own lies that he is the only man who matters in Ebonyi State. He did not consult with anybody notable before consummating his defection to APC. After his defection, no person of note followed him.
“Unable to contain and manage the unsavoury reactions from the public he ran to my home in the company of some high-profile people, on the 20th of November 2020, and pleaded with me to defect to APC, saying that if I do, others will follow suit. I pointed out to him that his approach has made it almost impossible for anybody to defect.
“He pleaded with me that if I cannot defect now, I should not attend any PDP meetings, and I said no, I must attend PDP meetings as long as I am in PDP.
“He realized that he could not persuade anybody when he saw the crème of Ebonyi Elders and citizen that gathered for the inauguration of the PDP Caretaker Committee. He could no longer sleep and declared war on everyone who has refused to defect with him,” Mr Anyim said in the letter.
He said the offence he and other PDP big wigs in the state committed was their refusal to follow the governor to the APC.
“We do not know when belonging to parties of one’s choice has become an offence against a Governor or means fighting a Governor.
“People who know Gov. Umahi know that he normally starts this way whenever he is hatching a sinister plan.
“He raises dust, makes wild allegations and accusations against people just to divert the attention of the public before he strikes.
“He may have been told that he will need to kill before he would achieve his present enterprise and so to build up a scenario for him to kill, he will need to spew allegations of killings even when they make no sense.
“I have no doubt that Governor Umahi may have been told that he needed blood to accomplish his present enterprise, otherwise how can a man in his 6th year as Governor of a State suddenly realise that a former President of the Senate, a former Governor of the State and two-time serving Senator Dr Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, two-time serving Senator, are now cultists and IPOB members. Something is wrong somewhere.
“It is obvious that either something is pursuing Governor Umahi or that he is pursuing something. For those who know him well, please notice that his lips have shifted out of shape and his eyeballs shrinking. Something is pursuing Governor Umahi,
“Governor Umahi’s modus operandi is well known and his moves are easily predictable,” he said.
