“Our meeting with President Buhari was not to campaign for him” – Umahi

The chairman, South East Governor’s Forum and governor of Ebonyi state, Engr. David Umahi has reiterated that their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Villa was not to campaign for his re-election in the 2019 general elections but to seek for 50 percent release of contract sum to the firm working on the second Niger Bridge.

Speaking with newsmen yesterday, he noted that their request for release of 50 percent sum coupled with 50 percent bond was to ensure speedy completion of the project.

He said it became necessary to clarify as there were speculations in some quarters that Governor Umahi, alongside his PDP counterparts in Enugu, Hon. Ifeanyi Igwuanyi and Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu were scheming to support President Buhari’s re-election in return to secure their second tenure at the poll.

Umahi noted that another vital issue apart from the second Niger bridge which was tendered to the president by the South East governors meeting but was not reported was to include an Igboman among the security chiefs.

He spoke to journalists at the project site of the ongoing modern ecumenical centre in Abakaliki which he said will cost the state government over a billion naira and is expected to be completed by March 2019.

“So South-East would not say because they are predominantly PDP they should shy away from development from the federal government to them. To me, that is stupidity, we are not campaigning for anybody but we want to say that the problem of south east is beyond partisan politics.

“Any party that wants to take south east must be very serious with south east and south east will take that party very serious.

“Another thing the newspapers did not report is that we also requested for  a serving chief from the South East, we don’t have it and all the thing we requested they are known things the people of the south east have been agitating for.

He noted that the forum wouldn’t have met with President if not for the release of N7billion mobilization fund to the contractor to continue with the project.

“We wouldn’t have gone if Mr. President has not awarded the much talked about Second Niger Bridge and also mobilized. So, we went to say look Mr. President given mobilization fees of N7billion is not enough we want 50 percent mobilization to Julius Berger and the other 50 percent committed to bond,” he said.