By: Oginyi Nkechinyere
Senator Sonni Ogbuoji, the Ebonyi State APC Gubernatorial candidate has said the cries of Governor David Umahi’s political clan that the Federal Government has rigged the forthcoming election for him are baseless and shameful, and most of all a sign that he has accepted defeat prior to the elections.
He carpeted the state’s PDP members and supporters of Governor David Umahi for what he called a baby’s whine for nothing.
The Senator spoke in response to the mock demonstration of the PDP members in Abakaliki who staged a protest to welcome the new Commissioner of Police to the state.
He said “It was laughable that while the new Inspector General of Police posted new police commissioners to all states in Nigeria, Umahi and his members single out that of Ebonyi to mean election rigging. But looking at it from another way, I would ask them if they had planned rigging with the former commissioner and now distraught that the old plan was bungled.
“I have said it several times that Umahi is afraid of his past. He knows how he got to power in 2015 and fears that the tradition still remains. But that tradition has changed even from Abuja, and most of all, he expelled himself from the masses and I have grabbed them to dethrone Umahi and that must be done.
“I want to tell him that nobody plans any rigging against him. He actually rigged the election against himself. He rigged himself out by enslaving over 600,000 workers who are also voters and very enlightened citizens.
“Umahi rigged the election against himself through the impoverishment of the people of the state, his discrimination against the Anambra community of Abakaliki, our own brothers, that control the private sector economy of the state through his crushing tax regime. Umahi rigged the election against himself and in my favour when he refused to fix the schools and 36 secondary schools got de-listed by WAEC while over 100 are on probation list.
“I want to remind Umahi that he concluded the elections in my favour thereby rigging himself out when he didn’t see any need to provide healthcare or improve the state of our hospitals making the people prone to avoidable deaths.
“Umahi you lost the election long ago when you ill heartedly stopped water running in homes in Abakaliki by shutting down the Oferekpe water scheme and deliberately making sure the Abakaliki guinea worm scourge returns and punishing the people. Why won’t he lose after he carried on like a god that doesn’t need the people? He even at a time boasted that he doesn’t need the votes of the workers to win” He said.
