Forme Senate President, Anyim Puis, has alleged that Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, is after his life.
The ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation made this known in an open letter addressed to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Inspector –General of Police; Director – General, State Security Service and Chief of Defence Staff.
This was a reaction to allegations against him and other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party by the governor who accused them of plotting to incite violence in the state.
Mr Umahi, had last week Friday after the state security council meeting, accused Mr Anyim; senators, Sam Egwu and Obinma Ogba, and PDP acting Vice Chairman, South-east, Ali Odefa, of plotting to use members of IPOB to unleash mayhem in the state.
“I want the media to note, that I reported an allegation that some Ebonyi people are engaging cultists and according to them some IPOB Members to start killing and causing crisis in Ebonyi State in the name of fighting Ebonyi State Government and the governor.
“Their leader is Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and their members are Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, Mr. Ali Odefa and others. The same Senator Anyim Pius Anyim fought the former Governor Sam Egwu and many people were killed.
“I have also directed security agencies to ensure the implementation of policies on tinted glasses of vehicles in the state, the use of a siren and then their police escort. If they try to fight the State, this will be their last fight, they will not fight again,” Mr Umahi had said.
Mr Umahi recently caused ripples in the PDP, when he defected to the APC over alleged marginalisation of the South-east by the former ruling party.
A spurned PDP and one of its governors, Nyesom Wike, of Rivers State had accused Mr Umahi of leaving the party in a quest to secure a presidential ticket in 2023.
Meanwhile, Mr Anyim in the open letter described Mr Umahi as a “prisoner of his greed and inordinate ambition.”
The open letter was titled, “Governor David Umahi on his wild, infantile, and utterly senseless accusations against my person”.
“Gov. Umahi is pitiably delusional. He is a prisoner of his greed and inordinate ambition. Here is a drowning man looking for who to drag down with him. Gov. Umahi has made his worst mistake after his latest misadventure by taking on me and other noble and respectable sons of Ebonyi State who have served and continued to serve our dear State with resolute commitment, dedication and integrity,” he said.
Mr Anyim also denied Mr Umahi’s claim that he agreed to defect with him “but later refused”.
“The case at hand is his defection to APC on the 19th of November, 2020. The discerning public knows that he has been on the plan for a long time and when he decided to consummate it, he suddenly concocted an accusation against PDP, that PDP was not willing to zone Presidency to the South-east.
“People who know Gov. Umahi know that he normally starts this way whenever he is hatching a sinister plan. He raises dust, makes wild allegations and accusations against people just to divert the attention of the public before he strikes.
“It is public knowledge that Gov. Umahi had been planning his defection to the All Progressive (s) Congress, APC for a long time. In his delusion, he believed his own lies that he is the only man who matters in Ebonyi State. He did not consult with anybody notable before consummating his defection to APC. After his defection, no person of note followed him.
“Unable to contain and manage the unsavory reactions from the public he ran to my home in the company of some high-profile people, on the 20th of November 2020, and pleaded with me to defect to APC, saying that if I do, others will follow suit.
“I pointed out to him that his approach has made it almost impossible for anybody to defect. He pleaded with me that if I cannot defect now, I should not attend any PDP meetings, and I said no, I must attend PDP meetings as long as I am in PDP.
“He realised that he could not persuade anybody when he saw the crème of Ebonyi Elders and citizen that gathered for the inauguration of PDP Caretaker Committee. He could no longer sleep and declared war on every one who has refused to defect with him.
“I would not have taken his present spew of baseless allegations seriously, but because I suspect he is under a spell and perhaps something is pursuing him. He may have been told that he will need to kill before he would achieve his present enterprise and so to build up a scenario for him to kill, he will need to spew allegations of killings even when they make no sense.
“I have no doubt that Governor Umahi may have been told that he needed blood to accomplish his present enterprise, otherwise how can a man in his 6th year as Governor of a State suddenly realise that a former President of the Senate, a former Governor of the State and two-time serving Senator Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Obinna Ogba, two time serving Senator, are now cultists and IPOB members.
“Gov Umahi’s modus operandi are well known and his moves are easily predictable.
“To notify the public that I fully understand that what Umahi meant by *“this will be the last fight I will fight”, is that he will kill me so that I will not live to fight again*. While I invite the security agencies to note this plan, I want to assure Gov. Umahi that my blood is not available for him in pursuit of his ambition,” Mr Anyim said.
