Umahi wants to jail opposition members in Ebonyi – AESID

The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora (AESID) has cried out that the state government under Engr. David Umahi, is perfecting plans to jail those who refused to join him in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The group said the recent comments made in various functions by the governor were disturbing, hence leaders across board and the federal government should prevail on the Ebonyi state governor.

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In a statement released to newsmen Wednesday in Abuja by the AESID President, Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, he said the state government was planning to detain some key political actors in the opposition party and their supporters in the guise that they are cultists and sponsors of cultism in Ebonyi State.

“It really troubles saner minds that despite all the warnings in our earlier Press releases, the Police and other security agencies in the State and indeed, their superiors in Abuja are watching Umahi play his full script of desperately clamping down on those who, operating within their constitutional rights, refused to defect with him to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC on November 19, 2020.

“His threat against PDP leaders and members and vow to collect ‘signatures’ of constituents are surprisingly coming just a few days after he deceptively called for a cease-fire in his early-orchestrated war against the leaders of opposition in Ebonyi State.

“All these desperate actions and comments of a man who claims to love God and humanity is capable of not only derailing governance but causing a serious political unrest in our very peaceful State.

“We condemn the Gestapo and Commando style through which the said Kingdom Heritage School was shut-down, especially the role of uniformed men in the cause of the operation which saw students being whipped out of their classes in gross violation of their universal rights to education.

“It is even most nauseating to reasonable minds that no notice, petition or report of any form was given by the government of Umahi before this horrible and politically-motivated action was taken.

“We, therefore, caution the security agencies in the state, particularly the State’s Commissioner of Police, Philip Maku, to be very wary of being used to stoke and ignite the fire that could consume our peaceful State.

“We are happy that Umahi mentioned taking the ‘alleged cult members to Abuja’.

“This has clearly justified our earlier positions and the claims by many of the leaders of the PDP that the Governor has perfected plans to connive and use some powerful individuals in Abuja and the Presidency to witch-hunt, silence and attack every form of opposition in Ebonyi State.”

The Ebonyi indigenes called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop what it called “desperate moves to cause serious violence and unrest in the polity even when we are still more than 2 years to an election year.

“Similarly, we condemn in strongest terms the statements credited to the Governor on Monday wherein he threatened to collate signatures from various constituents to recall members of the State and National Assembly.

“Apart from the fact that issues bothering on recall of a lawmaker is a serious constitutional matter in any democracy which any reasonable leader will never toy with, we see this as a very expensive joke taken too far and also a further confirmation of the fact that Governor Umahi is indeed, now a General without troop.

“He is, therefore, now morbidly afraid of his political future and more desperate to destabilize our peaceful State.”

The statement advised the federal government and the security agencies not to allow Ebonyi be thrown into a political crisis, adding that “Umahi obviously cannot be bigger than a State.

“AESID further expects leaders across board and party lines in Nigeria to rise to the occasion and caution the Governor against the blood-shed he is about plunging the poorest State in the entire Southern Nigeria into,” the statement added.