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Nigeria: How Umahi Begged Me to Join Him in APC – Anyim

The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has described how Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State came to his house and begged him to join him (Umahi) in defecting to All Progressives Congress, APC, or, at least, stop attending Peoples Democratic Party, PDP meetings.

Anyim made the revelation in an open letter copied President Muhammadu Buhari and all the heads of security agencies in Nigeria, in which he alleged that Governor Umahi was now after his life.

According to Anyim, he would not have bothered to respond to Umahi’s gibberish, but because he was a sinking man with a sinister plan.

Anyim wrote: “Governor Umahi is pitiably delusional. He is a prisoner of his greed and inordinate ambition. Here is a drowning man looking for whom to drag down with him.

“Governors Umahi has made his worst mistake after his latest misadventure by taking on me and other noble and respectable sons of Ebonyi State, who have served and continued to serve our dear state with resolute commitment, dedication and integrity.

“The discerning public knows that he has been on the plan for a long time and when he decided to consummate it, he suddenly concocted an accusation against PDP, that PDP was not willing to zone Presidency to the South-East.

“People who know Governor Umahi know that he normally starts this way whenever he is hatching a sinister plan.

“He raises dusts, makes wild allegations and accusations against people just to divert the attention of the public before he strikes.

“It is public knowledge that Governor Umahi had been planning his defection to the All Progressive Congress, APC, for a long time.

“Unable to contain and manage the unsavory reactions from the public, he ran to my home in the company of some high-profile people, on November 20, 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 realised that he could not persuade anybody when he saw the crème of Ebonyi elders and citizen that gathered for the inauguration of PDP Caretaker Committee.

“He could no longer sleep and declared war on every one who has refused to defect with him.

“How can a man in his sixth year as governor 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.

“The purpose of this response is to alert the public and the security agencies in particular on the schemes of Governor David Umahi so that they will read him upfront and be wary of him and his allegations.

“The only offence we committed is that we refused to follow Governor Umahi in his political adventure. We do not know when belonging to parties of one’s choice has become an offence against a governor or means fighting a governor.

“Security agencies, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Judges should note that Umahi had boasted that one of the gains of his defection is that he has been promised absolute use of the security agencies for all that he desires to do.