Senate

Anyim Pius Anyim, the Former Senate President has alleged that Governor David Umahi has plotted to take his life for refusing to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Anyim who petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu and the Department of State Services (DSS) over the alleged plot, also alleged that Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state was behind the plan.

Recounting how he declined an appeal from Governor Umahi to join him in defecting to the APC on November 20, the former SGF stated that no amount of blackmail or intimidation will compel him or any of the PDP leaders to follow the governor.

He also debunked allegation of engaging cultists and members of the proscribed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) to kill and cause crisis in the state. Anyim added that he couldn’t ignore Umahi’s alleged threats because of his antecedents.

The Petition Read;

“I would not have bothered to respond to this gibberish by a sinking man but for the compelling need to put the records straight and forewarn the public about the sinister plans of a man who personifies everything ignoble, shameless and despicable.

“Umahi is pitiably delusional. He is a prisoner of his greed and inordinate ambition. Here is a drowning man looking for who to drag down with him.

“Umahi has made his worst mistake after his latest misadventure by taking on me and other noble and respectable sons of Ebonyi State who have served and continued to serve our dear state with resolute commitment, dedication and integrity.

“The case at hand is his defection to APC on the 19th of November, 2020. The discerning public knows that he has been on the plan for a long time and when he decided to consummate it, he suddenly concocted an accusation against PDP, that PDP was not willing to zone Presidency to the Southeast.

“When he spews these allegations, he would not even mind whether they make sense or not. He did not have the mental capacity to reason that no party in less than two years into a new term would bring the next election unto the front burner.

“That even in APC where he has gone to, the issue of next election is not yet on the table as doing so would distract the government.

“People who know Governor Umahi know that he normally starts this way whenever he is hatching a sinister plan. He raises dusts, makes wild allegations and accusations against people just to divert the attention of the public before he strikes.

“It is public knowledge that Governor Umahi had been planning his defection to the APC for a long time. In his delusion, he believed his own lies that he is the only man who matters in Ebonyi State. He did not consult with anybody notable before consummating his defection to APC. After his defection, no person of note followed him.

“Unable to contain and manage the unsavory reactions from the public, he ran to my home in the company of some high-profile people, on the 20th of November 2020, and pleaded with me to defect to APC, saying that if I do, others will follow suit.

“I pointed out to him that his approach has made it almost impossible for anybody to defect. He pleaded with me that if I cannot defect now, I should not attend any PDP meetings, and I said no, I must attend PDP meetings as long as I am in PDP.

“He realised that he could not persuade anybody when he saw the crème of Ebonyi elders and citizen, that gathered for the inauguration of PDP Caretaker Committee. He could no longer sleep and declared war on everyone who has refused to defect with him.

“I would not have taken his present spew of baseless allegations seriously, but because I suspect he is under a spell and perhaps something is pursuing him.

“He may have been told that he will need to kill before he would achieve his present enterprise and so to build up a scenario for him to kill, he will need to spew allegations of killings even when they make no sense.

“I have no doubt that Governor Umahi may have been told that he needed blood to accomplish his present enterprise. Otherwise, how can a man in his 6th year as Governor of a state suddenly realise that a former President of the Senate, a former Governor of the state and two-time serving Senator Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, two time serving Senator, are now cultists and IPOB members. Something is wrong somewhere.

“It is obvious that either something is pursuing Governor Umahi or that he is pursuing something. For those who know him well, please notice that his lips have shifted out of shape and his eye balls shrinking. Something is pursuing Gov. Umahi.

“Umahi’s modus operandi are well known and his moves are easily predictable.

”The purpose of this response is to alert the public and the security agencies in particular on the schemes of Governor David Umahi so that they will read him upfront and be wary of him and his allegations. Accordingly, all concerned should note as follows:

”I believe that Gov. Umahi needs help. He was not in this shape when I picked him. His present behaviour is certainly not normal. His behaviour and utterances are strangest whenever he puts on the costume for the new enterprise – an oversized white Agbada and an elongated red hat that over sizes his head.

“The only offence we committed is that we refused to follow Gov. Umahi in his political adventure. We do not know when belonging to parties of one’s choice has become an offence against a governor or means fighting a governor.

“It is clear that Gov. Umahi may have been told that he needs to kill a high-profile person in order to achieve his mad ambition. Ebonyians should be wise and those he is preparing to use for the killings should know that after using them he will also plan to kill them to cover his track. Examples abound.

“Security agencies, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and judges should note that Gov. Umahi had boasted as follows:

“That one of the gains of his defection is that he has been promised absolute use of the security agencies for all that he desires to do.”

“That the Hon. Attorney – General of the Federation is his friend and will soon visit Abakaliki the second time and that he will use him to deal with those opposed to him using the EFCC.

“That he will extensively use the courts to not only make it impossible for PDP to function in the state but also to frustrate those opposed to him including sending them to prison.

“My advice is that all those concerned should be wary of Umahi so that he will not taint their soul and ruin their careers, because all his actions and schemes have black sides.

“To notify the public that I fully understand that what Umahi meant by ”this will be the last fight I will fight”, is that he will kill me so that I will not live to fight again. While I invite the security agencies to note this plan, I want to assure Gov. Umahi that my blood is not available for him in pursuit of his ambition.

“To assure the street dinner Governor that no amount of blackmail or intimidation will compel any of us to follow him.”

Senator Elisha Abbo has revealed that the actual reason he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress, was to pursue his 2023 governorship ambition.

Abbo, whose letter of defection was read on the floor of the Senate by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, however insisted at a news conference after plenary, that there is a major crisis in the partly in Adamawa State.

He also said he was not ready to resign as a Senator as was demanded by the PDP.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, while reacting to Abbos defection said, “Senator Abbo, is fully aware of the constitutional implication of his decision to defect to another party; which is that, he cannot continue to occupy the seat of the PDP in the Senate.

“The place of any Senators who changed parties except on the grounds provided by the Constitution is very clear and the PDP will not allow Senator Abbo to run away with our mandate.”

In response, Abbo said, “Did they ask (Governor Dave) Umahi to resign? Go and ask them (PDP). Governor Umahi just defected from PDP to APC as a sitting governor of Ebonyi State. Did they ask him to resign?

“There is a crisis in the (PDP) party in my state. That is the truth. I believe internal democracy in the party has suffered in the last one year when the governor assumed office.

“As you all know, it is only in Adamawa State that we have reformed PDP. There is a crisis in the party in Adamawa State and the governor is the cause of the crisis.”

Earlier, the in his letter of defection which was read on the floor of the Senate by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, the Senator said, “Today, I join the APC and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, to build the Nigeria of our dreams.”

The APC now has 60 senators, while PDP has 42. There are currently six vacant Senate seats.

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