The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has said another governor in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is planning to join the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Governor disclosed this on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday.
He said, “I can tell you there is one PDP governor that will leave. He is not leaving because of anything but he will come up with an excuse.
“The point is that these are the people who have been playing anti-party, who have been romancing with the APC in the night and coming to the PDP in the daytime. My problem with our party is that when you speak the truth, they will want to crucify you. I have raised this issue several times.”
However, the governor declined to reveal the identity of the PDP governor planning to defect, he said, “I won’t tell you that. But you journalists know.”
Wike said the Ebonyi State Governor, Umahi, has not been loyal to the PDP.
The Rivers governor added that during a particular virtual meeting of the PDP governors, Umahi boasted that he helped President Muhammadu Buhari to garner votes in the 2019 Presidential election.
He said, “All of us are aware that Governor Umahi has been romancing with APC for long. We had a virtual meeting of PDP governors. I have never seen that in my life.
“Governor Umahi in that meeting, to the surprise of many governors, said ‘there is nothing anybody can do to stop me’. I promised President Buhari I would give him 35 per cent votes.
“I never knew that people never voted in Ebonyi; that votes were allocated and Governor Umahi determined who gets what percentage.”
Wike emphasized his position that the Ebonyi state governor left the PDP because he wanted to be President, and not because the PDP marginalized the South-East as he claimed.
He recalled that the PDP gave the South-East key positions while it was in power, including the Senate Presidency and the Chief of Army Staff which it had never had before.
The governor noted that the PDP nominated Peter Obi from the South-East as its Vice-Presidential Candidate in 2019 general election but the APC had not even come close to such.
When asked if he would be running with Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, for Presidency in 2023, he said, “Am I not a human being? Am I not supposed to have ambition? I am a human being.”
