…Says, story of his stepping down is Fake
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, who is one of the foremost presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed confidence that he would pick the ticket of the party at its national Convention starting on Monday in Abuja.
Umahi, who expressed the confidence while denouncing a news story stating that he allegedly stepped down for the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, stressed that at no time was there such a discussion between him and Lawan.
The Ebonyi Governor in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze said that Lawan paid him a visit in his Abuja home during which they both agreed and promised to support whoever amongst the two and other aspirants that emerge the Flagbearer of the Party in the Primary.
The statement specifically stated that there was no time during the visit that the issue of stepping down by either Engineer Umahi or Senator Lawan was discussed or even suggested.
Part of the statement reads; “Our attention has been drawn to a news story purportedly broadcast on the stable of one of the revered Television Stations in Nigeria, the Arise Television in which the Station announced that Engineer David Nweze Umahi has stepped down his aspiration for his fellow Presidential Aspirant and Senate President, Ahmed Lawal ahead of the Presidential Primary.
“The news item is totally false in context and content. This raises a question mark about the credibility of the source of such fallacy, what never took place which is capable of putting Engineer Umahi’s aspiration in jeopardy.
“For the sake of discerning minds, what happened was that Senate President, Ahmed Lawal in a last-ditch effort to ramp up partnership ahead of the APC Presidential Primary, visited Governor Umahi in his Abuja residence on Saturday where they both promised to support whoever amongst the two and other Aspirants that emerge the Flagbearer of the Party in the Primary.
“The Senate President even took out time to eulogize Engineer Umahi for making the Party proud through his purposeful governance in Ebonyi State.
“There was no time during the visit that the issue of stepping down by either Engineer Umahi or the Senate President was discussed or even suggested.
“It, therefore, becomes a serious concern how the Arise Television got themselves enmeshed in this kind of professional miscarriage of reality without verifying the authenticity or otherwise of their news source.
“The teeming supporters of Engineer Umahi across Nigeria and beyond are encouraged to disregard the ill-fated news item which is by all standards fake, and go about their solidarity on the assurance that His Excellency the Governor is still very much in the race to develop Nigeria, God willing, he will emerge in the Sunday Presidential Primary of our great Party, the All Progressives Congress,” Nwaze said.
