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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammedu Buhari has agreed to visit Ebonyi next month to commission some of the over 2,000 projects that have been executed by the state government.
This is as Governor David Umahi denied that he has abandoned his ambition to secure the presidential ticket of the ruling party in next year’s election.
He said he is not entertaining fear over the judgement by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who ordered him and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, to vacate their offices for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor, who described the judgement as a blessing in disguise, said a counter pronouncement by a Federal High Court in Abuja, has affirmed that he enjoys immunity as an elected governor, and that votes secured during an election legally belongs to the candidate and not a political party.
The Ebonyi governor, who thanked his unnamed colleague for admitting on a national television that he was behind the hatchet job, likened him to biblical Judas Iscariot, stressing, however, that as a man who relies on the breath of God like any other mortal, he cannot determine his fate.
According to him, he serves only the living God while that of his unnamed counterpart (whose name he refused to outrightly mention), might be based on alcohol.
Asked if he was worried by any chance about the court sacking, Umahi said: “Do I look worried? You see, God has plans for everything. And I think God allowed one court to give judgement that I go nowhere and allowed another court to say, because we defected, that the votes belong to the party.
“And I’m very worried because the highest court has said votes belong to the candidates. And that’s why even though APC won the election in Bayelsa State, but the deputy governor’s credentials were defective. And even a day to swearing in, the Supreme Court ruled, disqualifying APC candidate that won the election because of his deputy. And so, if votes belonged to the party, it would have been that the Supreme Court, in its wisdom, would have just asked for the man that won election for the party to bring the substitutes to do that.
“So, I’m not worried. Because in the first place, there is no constitutional provision that says the governor can be sued in the first place, so I’m not ‘sue-able’. You know, but a court judgement is a court judgment, I’m not in the position to interpret it but the constitution, we swore to uphold.
“And the constitution says once you’re elected, you enjoy immunity, and Supreme Court says votes cast in an election belong to the candidate. And that’s why you have qualifications of a candidate and not qualifications of a political party. So, I’m not worried.
“But you see, God allowed it so that where I couldn’t reach in terms of my consultation, this situation has made it possible for me to reach those places. And to truly see that Nigerians love me and they want me and that is the reason for that.
“And I want to thank the PDP and even the man that boasted that he did that hatchet job. If the people that crucify Christ knew that it will bring salvation to the whole world, they wouldn’t have done that. So, the hatchet man that boasted is liken to Judas Iscariot. And so, I have no worry because the constitution is clear. I have confidence in the judiciary and so you can see I have added some weight in these few days and looking more handsome.”
Asked if he and his unnamed counterpart had personal grouse aside the politics of defecting to APC, he said: “Probably the difference between us will be our faith. I serve the living God and he probably, a lot of alcohol. I don’t drink. So, that is the differences between us otherwise, he remains my friend and my brother and I have nothing against him.”
