Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, has countered Former Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode’s claim that he contributed to his (Umahi’s) defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I think he needs to withdraw that statement, he’s my good friend but, it was an insult on my person and the other governors,” Umahi said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.
“The man did not know when I moved, but incidentally he visited me and we discussed, and he said he was coming to join me with the other governors to declare.
“How will somebody in the PDP be instrumental to my moving?,” Umahi asked.
“A whole Governor of the state and then, not even a small governor, an experienced Governor.
“So, he has to withdraw the statement, he was never part of any discussion of my movement”.
Governor Umahi defected to the APC in November 2020.
During Thursday’s interview, he explained that one of the reasons was to move the southeast to the center of administration.
“I moved to close the gap between the center and the southeast, which our forefathers fought for, like Nnamdi Azikwe.
“So, for somebody to come and say that a whole chairman of the southeast governor’s forum, he was instrumental to that, it’s a bitter insult to my person and with all due respect, he has to withdraw the statement.
“He remains my friend and a good one for that matter, but he played no role in my movement and I’m sure he didn’t play no role in the movement of the rest of us,” Governor Umahi stressed.
The comments come on the same day that Mr Femi Fani-Kayode officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
The former PDP chieftain was introduced to President Muhammadu Buhari as the newest member of the ruling party during a visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He was led to the meeting with the President by the APC National Caretaker Committee Chairman and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, as well as Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State.