Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Chief Dave Umahi, has spoken of how he survived nine attempts by the governor, Chief Martin Elechi, to impeach him.

Umahi, who overcame Elechi’s intrigues to become the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the forthcoming elections, spoke when he visited both the Ebonyi State chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Unwu Ekumenyi, an umbrella body for people of Abakaliki, bloc to solicit for their support.

The Guardian, which reported the story this morning, quotes Umahi as regretting that the governor has allegedly been going around trying to destroy his name.

The paper said the deputy governor noted that he served the governor “for seven and half years and the governor never found me wanting,” asking: “Why is it now that I would want to sell the state?”

Umahi was further quoted as saying: “When I was the party chairman the governor asked me to help him in 2011 to be re-elected and that he will make me the deputy after which I will succeed him.

“I did everything humanly possible for him to become governor. It was like a covenant between the governor and I, but when it was time for him to support me, he turned around to say I was desperate, that I want to sell the state.

“I went to the governor, cried and knelt down to him like son to his father to allow me succeed him based on our agreement but he told me that he will not support me.”

•Photo shows Dave Umahi.