From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki

Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, on Tuesday, January 11, rested speculations about whether he would contest the 2023 presidential poll or not.

Umahi, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, announced that he was ready for the challenge by seeking the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He told State House correspondents in Abuja that he discussed his ambition to seek the APC presidential ticket with the President, explaining that Buhari urged him to go ahead and contest, after an advice that he should consult widely with the leaders of the party and the nation at large.

“I told Mr. President that, without prejudice to whatever will be the decision of the party, which we shall abide by, that if the party throws the ticket open or zoned it to the southern part of Nigeria, that I believe that with what I have put in place in the past six years plus, that I will be running for presidency on the platform of the APC. So, I told him, and, of course, he believes that whoever wants to run for President of this country must have to consult widely, go to all the leaders, and that we must do everything to remove ethnicity and religion in our politics so that this country can grow,” he said

Many of Umahi’s admirers, including the people of the South East, received his declaration with excitement. The governor, who recently played host to two of his APC counterparts, Mai Buni (Yobe) and Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi), at his Uburu, Ohaozara country home during the Christmas holiday, would be counting on his performance in Ebonyi State.

Even Umahi’s worst critics agree that he has transformed the landscape of the once rustic state to a preferred destination with the massive infrastructural upgrade across its length and breadth. Abakaliki, the state capital, has been revamped from a glorified town to an attractive city with modern facilities and tourist hubs.

The governor’s declaration resonated very well within and outside Ebonyi State as his supporters took to the traditional and social media platforms to express their support for his ambition. According to some of them, they believe that, with what the governor has achieved in the Ebonyi, he would do better, if given the opportunity at the national level.

While the outpouring of support and goodwill towards the governor’s ambition were torrential, it perhaps did not prepare him for the kind of heroic reception organised to welcome him home by the government and people of Ebonyi State.

So, it was not surprising that the people of Ebonyi poured out in large numbers on Thursday, January 13, to welcome their darling governor who has made them proud by throwing his hat in the ring for the number one job in the land.

The scene at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, was electrifying. As early as 8am, over 50 different groups drumming support for Umahi’s presidential bid, members of the state executive council, local government chairmen, founding fathers, elders’ council, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other associations had gathered at the airport to welcome him from Abuja.

The airport was filled with people chanting different songs of support for Umahi’s presidency and calling on the APC to give its presidential ticket to the governor. On arrival with his entourage, Umahi was visibly surprised by the mammoth crowd that came to receive him.

The visibly excited governor could not help but thank the crowd with a waving of hands before entering his vehicle en route Abakaliki. But the crowd followed him in their different vehicles numbering over 200, including luxurious buses.

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As the convoy made its way to Ebonyi, many other vehicles joined them at the boundary with Enugu State, and they continued and terminated at the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abakaliki, where the high and mighty in the state gathered to welcome the governor.

Before Umahi’s arrival, the entire complex had been filled with supporters, loyalists and government officials drawn from the 13 LGAs of the state.

Former deputy governor of old Imo State and chairman of Ebonyi Founding Fathers’ Forum, Chief Francis Orji; Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru; chairman of APC in the state, Stanley Okoro-Emegha; and Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the state, Cletus Ofoke, among others, were among the dignitaries who received the governor.

Addressing his people, Umahi commended them for their love and solidarity for his administration and their support for his presidential ambition. He noted that the reception given to him at the Enugu airport was unprecedented, recalling that the last time such a crowd gathered to receive an individual was on June 18, 1982, when Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu landed from exile.

He said: “Let me thank God for his mercies that took us to Abuja and brought us back with testimonies. I was happily embarrassed at the reception in Enugu. The last time we had that kind of crowd in Enugu was when late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Ojukwu, was welcomed back from exile. It was awesome and I commend the organizers.”

He noted that he was aware that there might be more qualified aspirants in the presidential race, but opined that the race was not by might but by the grace of God. He called on the CAN and ministers of God and indeed all his supporters to pray for him to enable him win the position.

“Power and might belong to God, and by strength shall no man prevail. I think that we will get there just by praising and trusting God. I can see that we are fully ready for the next assignment of God. So, what we have that others may not have is that we have God and we have prayers. It is time for prayers, people have various altars but we have God,” Umahi said.

He further promised to replicate his developmental projects in the state at the federal level and to continue with President Buhari’s fight against corruption, if elected President next year.

Speaker Nwifuru said there was no doubt that the governor would transform the nation and make the people of the state proud, considering how he changed the ugly developmental narrative of the state within a short time.

Nwifuru stated that the legislators were behind Umahi and urged him to continue to be positive about his aspiration.

He said: “Your Excellency, as the good people of Ebonyi State, we are standing very strong. We are proud of you and we are not afraid as to whether you will deliver because of how you have delivered in this state. Many Ebonyians in the past were not proud to say that they were from Ebonyi State but today we are proud to say that we are from Ebonyi State because of how you have transformed the state. We are very grateful to you for making yourself available to save us.”

Also, APC state chairman, Okoro-Emegha, lauded the governor for answering the call by Nigerians to serve them as President in 2023.

He stated that the call was as a result of Umahi’s developmental strides in the state, which, according to him, were too numerous and visible to be ignored by anybody.