The Governor of Ebonyi State , Dave Umahi, told the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Tuesday that he was leaving the party .
He said he would join the ruling All Progressives Congress which he claimed would protect the interest of the South – East in the 2023 elections .
Our correspondent gathered that Umahi told the members of the National Working Committee of the PDP that his decision to join the APC was irrevocable .
The members of the PDP NWC , who were led to the meeting by its National Chairman , Prince Uche Secondus , were said to have tried in vain to convince the governor not to abandon the party .
Apart from Secondus , among those that were at the meeting at the Ebonyi Governor ’ s Lodge in Abuja were Deputy National Secretary , Agbo Emmanuel ; National Organising Secretary , Austin Akobondu ; Financial Secretary , Abdullahi Maibasira; National Women Leader , Mariya Waziri and Senator Sulieman Nazif .
The governor was said to be friendly when he received the PDP delegation , but stuck to his decision to leave the PDP when the issue came up .
It was gathered that the PDP delegation impressed it upon the governor that there was no need leaving the PDP for the APC, which they argued had become unpopular .
Sources at the meeting , however , said the governor was not convinced , insisting that the APC was planning to zone the 2023 Presidency to the South – East .
He was said to have promised to stay in the PDP if the party could make a pronouncement that it would zone the Presidency to the same zone .
One of the sources said , “I think his ( governor’ s ) mind was made up .
We told him there was no need for him to abandon the party that had made him a deputy governor, state chairman of the party , two – time governor and all that .But he refused.“ He wanted us to unilaterally zone the office of the Presidency to his area . We cannot do that . Parties are not run that way . He told us he was leaving . That is what we got from him . ’’
When contacted, Secondus confirmed that the party ’ s leadership met with Umahi.
He , however , refused to declared the details of the meeting , insisting that the meeting was on ‘‘ national issues.”
