By Chukwuemeka Opara
Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has said that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, loves the Igbos.
Umahi, who is the Chairman of South-East Governors’ Forum, stated this on Wednesday at Iboko, headquarters of Izzi Local Government Area, while flagging-off the party’s campaigns across the 13 council areas of the state.
The governor described the insinuation as ‘unfounded’, urging the people to vote for Tinubu and all APC candidates at the forthcoming general elections.
“Igbos prospered under Tinubu as Lagos governor and they are still prospering. We are not sentimental and will follow the man who knows the road.
“Tinubu will take care of Ebonyi the way President Muhammadu Buhari is presently doing,” he said.
He urged the people of Izzi to massively support their son and APC governorship candidate, Chief Francis Nwifuru, who is presently the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
“It is the turn of the Izzi clan to be governor in the land they gave us and nothing will take it away from them.
“Nwifuru has been under my tutelage for the past 16 years and he is eminently qualified to continue with the divine mandate philosophy,” he said.
The governor urged the people not to support any candidate from the southern district (where he hails from) to avoid distorting the existing charter of equity in the state.
“When it was the turn of the south to produce the governor, Izzi people and the entire Ekumenyi bloc massively supported me.
“It is presently your turn and the southern district, and others should support you,” he said.
He said further that the party’s campaign structure had been decentralised to ensure increased mobilisation at the ward level.
Speaking at the occasion, the APC governorship candidate thanked the people for the massive turnout and support, while promising not to disappoint them, if he emerged as governor.
“I will run my government on the principle of the people’s charter of needs, based on open governance and performance management.
“I will make decisions through citizens’ inputs and focus on outcomes and outputs,” he said.
Nwifuru thanked Umahi for his mentorship over the years and pledged to sustain his legacies in all sectors, if elected.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Umahi’s wife, Rachel, who is the Chairperson of APC campaign council’s women wing, led other stakeholders to express support for Nwifure and the party’s candidates for various positions. (NAN)
