ABAKALIKI, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ebonyi State has sounded a warning to the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, to steer clear of the senatorial election process in the state’s South Senatorial District.
The warning comes after Umahi, during a courtesy call on Governor Francis Nwifuru, declared that he has the right to choose his successor in the Senate.
Umahi previously served as the Governor of Ebonyi State from 2015 to 2023 and controversially moved to the Senate in February 2023 before vacating the seat for a ministerial position.
In a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, Dr. Nwazunku A. Augustine, the State Chairman of PDP in Ebonyi, said that it’s the “sovereign right of the people of Ebonyi South Senatorial District to choose their representatives at the National Assembly.”
“Umahi has no powers whatsoever to muscle his way through as he used to do when he was the sitting Governor of Ebonyi State,” said Dr. Augustine.
“We believe, and have confidence that the Judiciary must be allowed to complete their adjudication processes and direct the next line of action.”
Dr. Augustine slammed Umahi for his “arrogant and reckless abuse of power,” especially as legal matters surrounding the senatorial seat are still pending.
The PDP is challenging the results of the February elections, and the appeal process is still underway.
“It is extremely preposterous for him to come back now to offer such a ludicrous and anti-democratic assertion that he should be allowed to choose his successor in the Senate,” Dr. Augustine emphasized.
According to the PDP statement, such actions demonstrate “Umahi’s usual acts of impudence and lawlessness.”
The party insisted that it’s the people’s right to decide their representatives and that Umahi should focus on his ministerial duties under President Bola Tinubu.
The tension surrounding the Ebonyi South Senatorial seat adds to the ongoing political drama in Ebonyi State, raising questions about the balance of power and democratic principles in the region.
As legal battles loom, many are watching to see how this chapter in Ebonyi’s political story will unfold.
