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From Fred Itua, Abuja
Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi has secured the support of various groups, including a scribe of an Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to emerge the President of the 10th Senate.
In a statement signed by the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group premised its reason for supporting Umahi on his proven democratic temperament “without a penchant for sectional politics.”
The statement further stressed that beyond settling for the South East for the position of the Senate President is the need to pick a leader acceptable to all zones of the country and a man without ethnic or religious bias in his bones.
“Umahi fits in this! When some politicians here were pursuing selfish interests, Umahi who is currently the Senator-Elect for Ebonyi South senatorial zone took his people into the mainstream of Nigerian politics, just like he saw tomorrow. He has made friends across the divide and has demonstrated tolerance for all sections and strata. He is most fitted for the cap.
“For the interest of unity, gains of Umahi’s proven commitment to one Nigeria, infrastructure and human development, Igbo interest and need to galvanise support for our long-sought chance to have one of us stride to the Presidency in the near future; we seek the support of all to enthrone Umahi as the next Senate President,” the statement read in part.
Toeing the same path, different Igbo groups including South East Traditional Rulers, Elders Council as well as political organisations have called for support for the Governor, citing his track records in his stewardship of Ebonyi State from 2015 till date.
Meanwhile, the State Working Committee of the APC in Ebonyi State has described Governor Umahi as a perfect fit for the Office of the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly billed for inauguration in June.
This is as the SWC described the Governor as a man capable of championing a robust legislative relationship with the President-elect, Bola Tinubu who is set to assume office on May 29 this year.
The working committee in an open letter addressed to the President-elect, titled, “The Quest for a New President of the Nigerian Senate,” jointly signed by the duo of Stanley Emegha and Charles Ofoke, Chairman and Secretary of Ebonyi State Chapter of APC respectively, hinged its support for the governor on his capacity and competence to lead the red chamber effectively if given the opportunity.
The letter read in part: “The incoming Senator Umahi is a highly detribalised Nigerian of Ebonyi State extraction. He has proven this and has continued to prove it in his relationships with other states, tribes, and ethnic, regional and religious groupings across the country. The records are there.
“Incoming Senator Umahi is a highly patriotic Nigerian who believes without reservations in a united country of equal opportunities for all. It is for this reason that he ranks as the only South East Governor to openly and courageously condemn secessionist agitations in the South East and reaffirm the commitment of the South East to a united Nigeria and prosperous Nigeria where every tribe and religion are mutually accommodated.
“As Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum, he is perceived in the entire Igbo nation as a unifier even beyond the shores of the South East geo-political zone and as one who tenaciously holds as sacrosanct, the slogan of one indivisible and indissoluble Nigeria.
“Incoming Senator Umahi proves himself everywhere as a peacemaker and a life-wire. As one who brokers peace among individuals and groups, he as President of the Senate will help the incoming president to broker peace among aggrieved persons in the country and bring them to support the new administration and drive Federal Government policies to actualisation without bottlenecks.
“With incoming Senator Umahi as the new President of the Nigerian Senate; our incoming president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu can be sure of quick passage of bills in the red chambers and accelerated Senate ratifications of requests of the presidency for the smooth and effective administration of the country, unlike the past when bills and presidential requests suffered bureaucratic stagnation and delays in parliament which adversely affected the discharge of governmental duties to the people.
“It is on record that Governor Umahi who is now an incoming Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the best Governor in Nigeria in terms of performance indices. There are also several awards that attest to this, the most recent coming from Silverbird Nigeria. A governor with such an unprecedented performance pedigree is most suited as the next President of the Nigerian Senate and Governor Umahi is the most qualified.
“Your Excellency, these are just a few of the many credentials that make Governor Umahi most suitable for the position of next President of the Nigerian Senate.
“We, therefore, implore Your Excellency, our indefatigable president-elect to kindly consider our passionate appeal most favourably, particularly as Governor Umahi remains the only incoming Senator that will ensure massive support of the National Assembly for the policies of the Federal Government and their implementations under his watch.”
