The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ebonyi has slammed Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike for his outburst against Governor David Umahi’s defection suit.

The APC on Sunday described the Rivers Governor’s statement as reckless and an affront on the judiciary.

Chairman of Ebonyi APC, Stanley Okoro-emegha stated this in a statement on Sunday.

He was reacting to media reports credited to Wike who was quoted as saying he was one of the forces behind the ruling of an Abuja High Court, which ordered for the sack of Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe from office for defecting to APC from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The APC Chairman advised Wike to leave Umahi alone and focus on solving the many problems bedeviling his state.

“The attention of the Ebonyi State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to the reckless outburst of the primitive Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.

“The Rivers State Governor was reacting to the very unjust and widely condemnable Federal High Court ruling which recently sacked Governor Umahi and his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe,” he began.

Emegha stated that ‘after listening to Governor Wike’s rcekless tirades against Governor Umahi, which is very characteristic of him,the Ebonyi APC feels obligated to reply the garrulous, highly pompous but poorly performing Governor of Rivers State, and to place him where he rightly belongs’.

The Ebonyi APC Chairman claimed that there is no comparison between the ‘widely rated performing Governor of Ebonyi State,David Umahi, and the ‘power-drunk’ Wike in any area’.

“Governor Umahi has clearly surpassed the sleeping Governor of Rivers state in all indexes of performance both in private life and in public service,” he added.

He said that it is a measure of the rot in our democracy that a Governor pp will have no qualms in publicly reprimanding and threatening to deal with a fellow Governor over an issue that is before a court of competent jurisdiction.

“It speaks to the malaise in the Nigeria judiciary, and further lends credible credence to the insinuations that our judicial system is indeed being manipulated by some powerful forces against the ordinary Nigerians,” he noted.

While noting Umahi has since appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja, Emegha expressed hope that the appellate Courts will upturn the ruling of the lower court as it is not in consonance with any of the already established legal precedents on the issue of defection in the country.

“Having said that, Nigerians are however invited to note that the current travails of Governor David Umahi has nothing whatsoever to do with offending any law, but a clear case of political enemies persecuting a performing Governor because of his rising political profile as indicated by the utterances of Governor Wike.

“Wike should know that it is God that lifts and not mortals like him. So, no amount of his evil plots will be portent enough as to be able to either dislodge or remove a serving Governor who was single-handedly installed by God Himself for a unique purpose for His people.

“Wike and his co- travelers should go to hell and burn to ashes if they cannot accept the verdict of God which has clearly positioned Governor Umahi as the most qualified and preferred aspirant to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, and stop behaving like sadists who are hell-bent on equalizing misery,” he said.

The Ebonyi APC Chairman noted that the party and the people of Ebonyi State and indeed all lovers of democracy will continue to support and pray for Governor Umahi not only for the restoration of his mandate, but also for his victory as the president of Nigeria in 2023.

“If not that Governor Umahi has warned us against attacking any leader or Governor on his behalf, I would have properly situated the despicable character in Rivers State Government House who now masquerade as a Governor.

“However Governor Wike is once again advised to focus his attention on solving the numerous developmental challenges buffeting his Rivers State, and stop dissipating energy sounding like the godfather of the Nigeria body-polity,” he added.

Umahi defected to the APC from the PDP, the party on whose banner he won election twice as governor of Ebonyi state, in November 2020.

But the PDP instituted a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja urging the court to sack the governor and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe for the defection.

It argued that the votes belong to the party and not the governor and his deputy.

The court presided by Justice Inyang Ekwo agreed with the PDP and ordered the governor and deputy to vacate their seats immediately.

It also ordered Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue certificates of return to two nominees from the PDP to replace the Messrs Umahi and Igwe or to conduct another election for the two positions.

The PDP immediately nominated and forwarded the names of Iduma Igariwey, a House of Representatives member and Fred Udogu, a former State Chairman of the party as replacements for the two positions.

Umahi, however rejected the ruling and headed to the appeal court praying the higher court to upturn the ruling.

(The Nation)

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