From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has explained reasons the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, won in Ebonyi and other states in the South East.
Governor Umahi, who is also aspiring to be the president of the 10th Senate, having been elected as senator to represent Ebonyi South zone, said people voted for Obi in South East in protest of the marginalization of the zone.
Umahi spoke when he appeared on Channels Television on Monday night and revealed that even some members of his family voted for Obi during the presidential election without his knowledge.
He further argued that people voted for Obi because of the hardship they were facing in the country, describing the scenario as protest votes.
“In all honesty, I didn’t give any chance to the Labour Party to win any election in my state (Ebonyi State), because what we had put in place was such that no other political party should be able to win anything, not even councillor-ship elections. I see the Labour Party vote as a protest against my party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and against the Peoples Democratic Party.
“I was very surprised; even in my family, I did not know they voted for Obi, but in the other elections, they voted for APC because of what we’ve done in the state. It’s very surprising
“It was not a vote for Obi, as such; there are seeming hardships and challenges in Nigeria, and people voted to express their anger and frustration,” he said.