Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state yesterday berated the members of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in South East zone for poor mobilization of supporters in the President Mohammadu Buhari’s rally that took place in Enugu state.
Umahi made this known at Ugbodo, the council headquarters of Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state while addressing PDP supporters at a rally.
He lamented that President Buhari was embarrassed as a result of the empty stadium, but jokingly reiterated his readiness to lend 2000 members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC to enable the party receive President Muhammadu Buhari who is billed to visit Ebonyi State on Wednesday next week.
The governor explained that it would be embarrassing for the president to come to Ebonyi state without people to receive him, since the supporters of APC in the state are not up to 1000 members.
He, however, shelved PDP state rally billed to hold Wednesday to receive President Buhari, adding that the gesture was to give the president the necessary courtesy, so that he won’t come to Ebonyi and finds nobody to receive him.”
Umahi said he will allow President Buhari to make use of the state township stadium now known as Pa Ngele Oruta township stadium.
The governor said he has identified the 2000 persons that would be at the stadium to receive the President and urged the PDP members not to feel bad about it.
“On Wednesday, Mr. President is coming to Ebonyi, we shall accord him all necessary courtesy as a President and our friend. To honour him, we will shift our rallies to three Senatorial zones to do our rallies and allow them to make use of the township stadium”
“I will take permission from you. You know, these people: the ruminants’ of the house of Saul, in totality, they are not up to 1000. So, I am going to borrow them some people. Please, don’t say no. Just for people to be at the stadium.
The PDP members at the rally on hearing the gesture, chanted no! no! no! no! no! but Umahi overruled them.
He said: “I am going to overrule you. The people you will see there are going to be PDP members but they are not going to be more than 2000 to receive the President.
“This is to honour the president. So, whoever you see there, just knows that they are PDP members. We will not allow the president to come here without our people receiving him.
“We will go ahead with our own rallies in the three geopolitical zones. We have identified the people that people that will go there. So, if you see your people there don’t be angry.
“I am also going to help them with buses to bring people from Enugu and Abia states to make our state tick,” he said.
The governor also appealed to the people to vote the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi and all other PDP candidates in the upcoming general elections in the state.
Umahi also flagged off the remaining 16km Nwiboko Obodo and announced that construction would commence on Monday.
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