24 governorship candidates of different political parties for the March 9th Governorship election in Ebonyi State on Tuesday stepped down for the People’s Democratic Party candidate, Chief David Umahi citing his infrastructural and human capital development as reason for their decision.
12 out of the 24 House of Assembly candidates under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress APC and 15 others from the different political parties in the state also stepped down for the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party PDP in the state.
Speaking on behalf of other governorship candidates, the governorship candidate of the Advanced Allied Party APP, Chief Ogbonnaya Okorie said that it was the collective agreement without any compulsion to step down for Governor Umahi to enable him complete his eight years term as enshrined in Ebonyi Charter of equity of all senatorial zones completing their second term in office.
“After critical appraising the developmental strides of Governor Umahi and in perfect agreement that has done well in the first term and will do more in the second term, we the undersigned governorship candidates of the 26 political parties present hereby resolved without any form of force or Ill-will to step down for Governor David Umahi and adopt him as sole candidate for the office of the governor come March 9th Governorship election”.
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The governorship candidate further revealed that they will not go to court or tribunal to challenge the election of Chief Umahi when declared winner but resolved to fight for justice and stand by the people of the state in the case of obvious alleged planned manipulation of the election by the All Progressives Congress APC.
Speaking on behalf of the other 12 All Progressives Congress APC House of Assembly candidates, Mr. Amechi Odah and Mr. Mattew Nweke said that they made up their mind to join the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP in order not to distract the state Governor, Chief Umahi from the laudable achievements in the state.
The duo said that they would mobilize all the needed support for the governor ahead of the governorship election in the state noting that the good works of the state governor has endeared him to the people of the state.
A former member of the APC and Ebonyi North Senatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Anselem Enigwe also announced that he was decamping back to the PDP.
Responding the Ebonyi state Governor Chief David Umahi urged the remaining 12 other candidates of the APC to join the PDP to move the state forward.
He promised to accommodate all the decamping candidates and their supporters in his government.
The South East Vice Chairman of the PDP, Austin Umahi, State Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe, State PDP Chairman, Onyekachi Nwebonyi and other leaders of the party were on hand to welcome the candidates to the party.
Prominent among the decampees are, Arc Chidi Onuma, Alliance for Democracy, Chief Elechi Oko Elechi, AP and Chief Nwobegu Moses, Labour Party.
