Peter Obi: South East Govs, Leaders Meeting Ends In Deadlock

Meeting of governors and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in South East zone of the country ended without any resolution regarding the nomination of former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, by the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, as his running mate.

The governors including, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, David Umahi and Okezie Ikpeazu of Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia respectively, met with National Assembly members and other party leaders at the residence of Deputy Senate President (DSP), Ike Ekweremadu in Enugu for more than one hour and ended up not rejecting or accepting Obi’s nomination.

Governor Umahi who spoke to journalists at the end of the meeting said that the leaders of the zone were not consulted before the said nomination.

Umahi, who is also the chairman of the South East Governors Forum, said that the Presidential candidate of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar will meet with South East leaders over the choice of his running mate.

Umahi said the stakeholders meeting of PDP extraction in South East was to brainstorm on the various news making the rounds in the social media concerning the purported choice of the former governor of Anambra state as Atiku running mate.

He said both PDP governors in the zone and indeed other stakeholders were shocked over the news of a vice presidential slot given to Ndigbo whereas no former notice to that effect was given.

Umahi revealed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar sent in message during their meeting informing them that he was out of the country on a short period and pleaded with them to remain calm that he will be coming down to the zone to dialogue with leaders.

“We saw news flying up and down saying that our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has picked a running mate from the zone. We were shocked because we were not consulted. While we were meeting, Atiku sent message that he travelled out of the country for a short period. He promised to come down and meet with South East leaders”

Similarly, the vice chairman of PDP, in the South East zone, Augustine Umahi, echoed what the Ebonyi governor said, stressing that leaders of the party in the zone saw the news of Obi’s nomination as running mate in the social media.

“Our leaders are saying that we are not yet aware that such a thing (Obi’s appointment) happened.

“We have gotten in touch with him (Atiku), he is traveling tonight and he promised that when he comes back we shall meet in that.

“Peter Obi is our son, and is from South East, we are not rejecting or accepting him but we are saying is that we are not aware, you cannot shave a man in his absence,” he said.