The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has accused the social media of being responsible for the misgivings generated over his nomination.
Obi expressed his feelings in Abakaliki on Monday during a courtesy call on Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi.
He said leaders of the South East Zone were never against his nomination but with the process through which he was nominated. “They have the right to disagree with such process and this made them humbly request for a meeting with the party’s presidential candidate. Unfortunately, we leave in an era where the social media controls every part of news as I declare especially to the press that Umahi remains the zone’s leader and the best in the country,” Obi said.
According to him, it was Umahi who made his nomination possible through his efforts as the secretary of the PDP national convention committee which produced the best presidential primaries in the country.
“Such efforts by PDP leaders especially Umahi ensured that the party’s presidential candidate thought of choosing his running-mate from the south east zone. That is why I came home to tell south east people that the nomination is not for me alone but for them as its success rests on the efforts of Umahi, its leaders and the entire people,” he said.
The former governor of Anambra said that he never thought of getting nominated, never discussed such with anybody and that with the way it happened; only God could explain. He noted that the PDP governors in the zone have performed tremendously and Umahi in particular, has done enough for Ebonyi and the zone, stressing that it would be “unfair and uncharitable for any of us to allow his person or leadership, be put into disrepute as this journey would not be successful without his leadership.”
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“We will work together to succeed as the PDP is desirous of returning to power not just to return but to correct the anomalies presently witnessed in the country,” he said.
Umahi, in his response, thanked Obi for the honour of the visit, pledging that the people of the state and the zone would support him to actualize his ambition.
“When you sought to visit me in Abuja, I chose to visit you instead because you were a governor, chairman of the zone’s governor’s forum all before me and presently, the vice presidential candidate of our party. In your humility however, you decided to visit me and we both spoke to the press to correct certain impressions,” he said.
The governor said he didn’t envy Obi’s nomination because even if he had been nominated for the position, he would not have accepted as he still had four years to lead as Ebonyi governor.
“We have supported each other in the past, you supported me during my campaign to be governor even donating vehicles and this is the time to show that one good turn deserves another. We have never had differences in any matter in the past but have been badly misrepresented in this present matter. I want to officially congratulate you on your nomination because nobody can impose a deputy on another but I maintain that the process was not satisfactory to us,” he said.
The governor noted that the process was faulted because five names were submitted for the position and six people from other geo political zones were selected to review the list.
“We, therefore, faulted the non-selection of an Igbo leader in the review of the list and the non-selection of indigenes of Ebonyi and Imo in the list. I am particular about Ebonyi because we have been the whipping child of the south east zone as I have fought and will continue fighting to correct this anomaly,” he said.
