APC primary: Umahi lambastes southeast leaders, accuses delegates of trading votes

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state lamented how delegates from the southeast “traded their votes” in the just-concluded presidential primary of the APC.

Telescope.ng gathered that while speaking at his hometown, Uburu, during the maiden matriculation of the King David University of Medical Sciences, Umahi said his focus, henceforth, would be on Ebonyi and not on the Igbo in general.

The APC had conducted its presidential primary last week with Tinubu polling 1,271 votes to clinch the party’s nomination.

Tinubu had contested against 13 other presidential hopefuls – including Umahi, who polled 38 votes and a former minister of state for education, Emeka Nwajuba, who scored one vote.

According to NAN, during the matriculation, Umahi said: “I had a series of meetings with the party’s chairmen in the five states of the zone in the company of its national vice-chairman.

“I implored the delegates that the issue was not about me, but the mood of the Igbo in the nation. I implored that they should vote for any southeast aspirant, so that when the votes are counted, we would not be missing.

“We would have made a strong statement in the process that the Igbo are eminently qualified with due capacity to lead the country.

“They will come later to preach about Igbo unity and its agenda but henceforth, the only agenda I know is the Ebonyi agenda. This shows that even if we have an equal number of local government areas and delegates such as other zones, we would still trade our votes.

“We are currently regarded as people who can sell anything but they should remember that anyone who betrays his brother will lose the trust of those who gained from the betrayal.

“There was no sort of lobbying I did not receive, but I maintained that it was about bringing the marginalisation of the Igbo to the fore.

“Ebonyi delegates have made yourselves reference points of steadfastness in the country and when people are seeking trustworthy people, they will come for you.

“I have lost total confidence in the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural organisation, and will openly confront anyone who challenges the Ebonyi agenda.”