Umahi Is Desperate, Security Agencies Should Call Him To Order. - PDP
The outgoing governor of Ebonyi State and All Progressives Congress candidate for Ebonyi South senatorial district, Engr. David Umahi, has been fingered in attempts to frustrate the successful conduct of the presidential and national assembly polls scheduled to hold nationwide on Saturday, February 25, in Ebonyi State. This allegation was contained in a press statement issued on Friday, February 24 by the Peoples Democratic Party governorship campaign office in Ebonyi State.
In the statement signed by the PDP governorship campaign's deputy director of media and publicity, Moses Idika, the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State is condemning Umahi's re-introduction of his outlawed Ebubeagu militia under the guises of Neighbourhood Security Watch and Ebonyi Vigilante Corps a few days after the court of competent jurisdiction declared Ebubeagu unlawful and ordered its proscription. Umahi's special assistant on media, Mr. Chooks Oko, announced on February 22 inter alia: “His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engineer David Nweze Umahi, FNSE FNATE, GGCEHF, GSSRS, CON has directed the immediate resumption of activities of the new Security Outfits recently created by the Law of the State House of Assembly, namely Ebonyi Neighborhood Watch fashioned after the Neighborhood Watch in Anambra State and Ebonyi Vigilante Corps fashioned after the Amotekun in South West Nigeria.”
Ebonyi PDP is condemning Umahi's unconstitutional move because the so-called law reinventing the outlawed Ebubeagu Security Network in those guises is not made available to Ebonyi people; while the modes of operation of the outfits also remain Umahi's secrets. Consequently, PDP wants security chiefs, including the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Director General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS), the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to note that the new security outfits announced by Governor Umahi a few days after the abrogation of Ebubeagu Security Network "are one and the same Ebubeagu militia."
PDP further accused Umahi of security breaches, giving the following insights: "Obviously, Governor Umahi has unleashed his new militia who are definitely the over 4000 Ebubeagu militia operatives that the court has proscribed and disbanded for being unlawful.
"Little wonder Oshiri (Onicha LGA) and Okpuitumo (Ikwo LGA) were swooped on by gunmen numbering over 100 on Thursday February 23, 2023."
Summing up, the PDP governorship campaign office charged security agencies on vigilance in the following words: "In the interest of public peace and smooth electioneering processes in Ebonyi State, Security Chiefs are encouraged to be vigilant having in mind that the desperation of Governor David Umahi seem to have taken up his senses of decency and he will stop at nothing to engender violence to justify his penchant for terrorizing dissenting voices.
"We understand that the collapsing fortunes of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State is a source of worry to Umahi and his co-travelers, but the beauty of democracy is the fact that the people are free to choose their leaders and not even Governor Umahi can stop the progress of Ebonyi people."