Igbo Foundation Condemns Umahi’s War Against Ebonyi Personalities, Compares Him With Idi Amin

The Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Thursday, condemned what it called Ebonyi State governor Dave Umahi’s ‘inordinate ambition to liquid the political leadership of Ebonyi State, nay of alaigbo’.

The foundation, in a communique signed by its president, Prof Uzodinma Nwala, expressed worries over the recent developments in Ebonyi State, and likened Gov Umahi to former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.

A part of the communiqué reads, “[Gov Umahi] has never ceased to amaze us with series of actions of his, which consistently display character traits similar to those of the late infamous Idi Amin Dada of Uganda. Yet there comes a time we must all stand up against a man whose ambition is to hand over his people as a ransom and for slaughter for the benefit of his personal ambition.

“Recall how he has stoutly stood against the setting up of a regional security architecture for our zone; recall the way, due to the same personal ambition, Gov Dave Umahi stood against and sabotaged the electoral chances of a ticket involving nwafor Igbo in the 2019 presidential election; recall his flirtations and warm embrace of every and any anti-Igbo policy of the federal government, including the infamous community policing policy of the federal authorities. Recently, he led his co-travellers on a trip to Rivers State as if to celebrate the mass killings of our people in Obigbo and other parts of Rivers State.”

Prof Nwala recalled that the ADF of late cried foul when Gov Umahi ‘ruthlessly descended on Hon Abia Onyike, a former commissioner of Ebonyi State and former deputy national president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, for daring to ask questions on behalf of good governance in Ebonyi State’.

The statement added that, “We watched the media briefing of Gov Dave Umahi following the Ebonyi State Security Council Meeting of Nov, 2020. It was like a horror film! How could any normal person devise such a scheme literarily meant to politically and physically wipe out the cream of Ebonyi leadership, nay Igbo leadership? Look at the names – Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Dr Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, etc. and look at the frivolous but albeit serious charges he made against them.”

The foundation berated Gov Umahi for not complaining to Ebonyi or Igbo leaders of whatever he had against those whom he had levied such serious accusations, and expressed worries about the safety of the Ebonyi leaders he had risen up against.

Referring Umahi’s recent communiqué during the visit of President Buhari’s chief of staff as a ‘surrender declaration’, ADF added that Umahi’s ‘recent unprincipled defection to the APC may be regarded as a celebration of that declaration’, and wondered why he would wish to ‘cajole and blackmail other Ebonyi leaders to follow him’.

THE WHISTLER reported, Wednesday, that Gov Umahi had sacked all political appointees from Ivo LGA which is the constituency of Senator Anyim, who recently, in an open letter, advised him to seek medical checkup to ascertain his mental status.