The Sun News On-line|Abuja Reports

ANPP National Chairman and its vice-presidential candidate in the April 2007 elections, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke has proffered reasons why he distanced himself from the party’s presidential candidate, General Muham-madu Buhari’s suit at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal mid-stream.

Chief Ume-Ezeoke in a chat with Daily Sun proffered that he took several steps to strengthen ties with Buhari before arriving at the conclusion that his political marriage with the retired general turned politician would not stand the test of time. He revealed that relationship between him and General Buhari grew cold over the choice of a lawyer to prosecute his suit at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.

He affirmed that the ANPP resolved to contest the outcome of the presidential elections at the tribunal and that he communicated the decision to Buhari, but distanced himself eventually from the case when the Buhari Campaigns Organisation insisted that Chief Mike Ahamba must be the lead counsel for the suit.
Ume-Ezeoke argued that he backed out of the decision because he does not believe that Ahamba has the requisite experience and capacity to persecute the case successfully.

He referred to 2003 when Ahamba led the legal team for Buhari’s suit at the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal up to the Supreme Court, but failed to get a favourable verdict.
“I am a lawyer with 30 years experience and I know what I was talking about. I told him that he cannot handle the suit, that he should allow another lawyer handle it, that if he insists, then, the ANPP will not be part of it. He has tried before and failed, the party would be seen as unserious to allow him handle the case again. And his outing at the tribunal has proved me right. He argued that the presidential election was rigged throughout the country’s 36 states, but he could only produce witnesses from one local government in Imo State.”

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives in Second Republic further inferred that both Ahamba and the Buhari Campaigns Organisation took his stance personal.
According to him, he defeated Ahamba to emerge as the party’s National Chairman, and he is now conveying to him that the party will not engage him as counsel for Buhari. “He took the matter as a personal issue, but there is nothing personal about my decision.”

Ume-Ezeoke frowned at insinuations that material gains motivated his decision to lead the ANPP into PDP’s Government of National Unity (GNU) “At my age what else am I looking for? I was Speaker of the House of Representatives 25 years ago. I have practiced law for over 30 years. All my political life, I have not been named for abuse of office or corrupt enrichment. I am content with what I have, what else do I need?”

Ume-Ezeoke also doused hopes of the Buhari camp that they might get a favourable verdict at the Supreme Court. “The 2003 Electoral Act as it is structured makes it difficult for a petitioner to prove that the election was rigged. We should not be taken in by the favourable verdicts some elections tribunals and even the Appeal Court has delivered in certain instances..

I know that the Electoral Act makes it an Herculean task for a petitioner to prove his case. “I once called Buhari and advised him to bid his time, that one day, he will be president. I gave him the example of former President of France, Jacques Chirac who ran for the president in 1981, in 1988, but won at the third attempt in 1995. I told Buhari that at 57, he is still a young man, that he should forget about me as am near retiring from politics. But his followers deceived him, and egged him to embark on mass protest and the sort, but I cannot be part such, I am a democrat.

"I told him that with time, the electoral system could be strengthened and tougher laws against electoral malpractices passed by the National Assembly."
The former legislator promised to provide more insight into intrigues that destabilized the Buhai/Ume-Ezeoke ticket at a later date.