Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has put a lie to the claim by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode that he (Fani-Kayode) was instrumental to the defection of the governor from Tue Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), under which he was elected governor twice, to the All Progressive Congress, (APC).
Umahi, who made the clarification while speaking on Channels Television morning programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’, took exception to the former Minister for Aviation’s claim, considering such as an “insult”.
Fani-Kayode, popularly known as FFK, it would be recalled, had, on Thursday, defected from the PDP to the APC, hinging his action in the direction of the ” “Holy Spirit”, as he met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
While stating his journey that culminated in the final defection, the Ile-Ife, Osun State-born politician had claimed that he played prominent roles in the defections of Umahi, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State and Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara to APC.
A visibly angry Governor Umahi intoned that “For someone to come and say that a whole Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, that he was instrumental to my movement from PDP to APC is an insult on my person and with all due respect, he has to withdraw that statement.
“I will not take it from Femi Fani-Kayode that he made me join APC. It’s an insult to a big governor like me. I joined APC on my own to tow the part of our founding fathers like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, who took the Eastern Region to the central government. I took my people back to the centre on my own and not by any Fani-Kayode,” Umahi fumed.
While admitting that FFK remained his friend “and a good one for that matter,” the governor reiterated that the former “played no role in my movement and I am sure he didn’t play any role in the movement of the rest of us.”
