A total of 26 governorship candidates from different political parties in Ebonyi State, contesting the gubernatorial seat in the March 9 2019 election, have stepped down with a pledge to support incumbent Governor David Umahi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking on behalf of the candidates during a courtesy visit to Governor David Umahi at the Government House Abakaliki the State capital on Tuesday, the spokesperson of the Group and governorship candidate of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP) Mr Ogbonnaya Okorie, said that their decision was sequel to their resolve that the Chief Executive has performed marvelously in the delivery of democratic dividends to the people.
According to him, “We the undersigned Candidates of various political parties hereby resolved to step down without any form of coercion and adopt Engr David Umahi of the ( PDP) as our sole candidate for the office of the governor of the State come March 9th 2019 polls.
“We decided to collapse all our party structures to ensure the emergence of Umahi , we hereby urge all our party supporters to throw their support to the candidacy of Engr Umahi”
“It is therefore our collective agreement without any compulsion from anybody that Umahi should complete his second tenure as exemplified by the two other previous Governors that governed the State before him”
Mr Okorie reiterated that the 26 governorship candidates have equally resolved not to go to court to challenge the emergence of Umahi after the election .
He outlined the governorship candidates that stepped down for Umahi to include Mr Uduma Evo of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Chidi Onuma of the Alliance for Democracy ( AD), Mr Ogbonnaya Okoro of the African Alliance Party ( AAP), Mr Elechi Oko Elechi of the African People’s Party ( APP), Mr Nweke Nwam of the Democratic Alliance ( DA), Mr Akpa Vincent of the United Democratic Party ( UDP)and Mr Nnamdi Nweke of the Accord Party among others.
Receiving the defectors Governor David Umahi commended them for their courage in stepping down and adopting him as their candidate ahead of the forth coming governorship election in the State.
“With the stepping down of the 26 out of the 34 governorship candidates in the State, the election is all over,” Umahi reiterated.
Umahi assured the citizenry that his second term in office would focus on human empowerment and accelerated infrastructural development of the State in general.
