Ebonyi 2023: Umahi’s endorsement of Nwifuru as successor ‘immoral, illegal’ – Ucha

[From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki]

Days after Ebonyi Governor, David Umahi announced his successor in Francis Nwifuru, another governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Senator Julius Ucha, has kicked against the endorsement of the Speaker of state House of Assembly.

Earlier, Monday, another aspirant on the platform of the ruling APC in the state, Chief Elias Mbam, had challenged Umahi over the decision to anoint Nwifuru as successor.

Mbam who is the current chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) lambasted Umahi for imposing a candidate on the people of the state, saying ‘the Electoral Act, APC’s Constitution, and indeed other extant documents on elections in Nigeria did not make provisions for the imposition of aspirants on any political party.’

According to Mbam, the imposition of governorship candidate on the party will not work.

Mbam, stated this at a news conference, Sunday in Abakaliki, was reacting to a statement credited to Gov. Dave Umahi, endorsing Hon. Nwifuru, as his successor and APC candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

Umahi had last Saturday at a burial in Okposi in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, announced that he had chosen Mr Nwifuru to succeed him, come 2023.

However, Julius Ucha, a pioneer Speaker of State House of Assembly, and two-term Senator who represented Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone between 2003 to 2011, in a press conference in Abakaliki on Tuesday, said the action of Governor Umahi was undemocratic and a flagrant attempt to play on the sensibilities of the people.

Ucha disclosed that the Governor did not even consult the Governorship aspirants on the platform of the APC in the State before making the endorsement.

According to him, it is undemocratic, immoral, illegal, unconstitutional and even demonic, for the Governor to have taken such a unilateral decision.

He maintained that such imposition won’t work; and called on Ebonyi people to reject and resist any attempt to destroy democracy in the State.

The Governorship hopeful who is a Member of the National Assembly Service Commission, representing the South East zone, maintained that he was fully in the governorship race on the platform of the APC,saying that Umahi’s action won’t discourage him.

He warned that if Governor Umahi failed to gauge the mood of Ebonyians and eventually succeeded to impose a 2023 governorship candidate on the people, the APC might lose Ebonyi State, come 2023.

“I wish to share my view on the recent political development in our dear State,Ebonyi, where it came to us as a surprise, those of us who are Aspirants for the position of governorship of the Ebonyi State on the platform of the APC, that an endorsement has been made by the state Governor. We are still Aspirants and we are aspiring very strong. And we were not consulted by the governor.

“We are also aware that democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people. So, endorsement or appointment in democracy can only be done by the Chief Executive when he has been elected.

“As a Chief executive, you can appoint your Commissioners, but you don’t appoint people that are aspiring to be elected. And we are all aware that endorsement of one who is aspiring to be elected is undemocratic, immoral, illegal, unconstitutional and even demonic. Because what you are doing is to destroy democracy; you are saying that the will of the people no longer matter in a democracy.

“People are supposed to vote for one to govern them, not through imposition. So, we reject imposition and I call on the people of Ebonyi State to reject imposition and resist anything that will destroy democracy in this State.

“The electoral Act and the APC constitution provides only three conditions upon which an aspirant can emerge as a candidate: one, is through direct primary, the second, is through indirect primary and the third, is through consensus and none of this has been done in Ebonyi state.”

Ucha was recently adopted as a consensus candidate by his populous Ezza clan as the sole governorship aspirant from the clan on the platform of the APC.

The adoption followed the directive of the State Governor, David Umahi for the people of Ezza Clan to nominate two governorship aspirants that would stand for the primary election of the APC.

The Governor also gave similar directive to Izzi clan. Both clans are competing to produce Governor Umahi’s successor.

The Ezza clan, in compliance to the Governor’s directive nominated the Secretary to Ebonyi State government, Dr Kenneth Ugbala and Senator Julius Ucha.

But Ugbala after further meetings by the clan, stepped down for Ucha to emerge the sole governorship aspirant from the clan.