The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has said the State Governor and a presidential aspirant in the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dave Umahi lacks the wide acceptance to clinch the ticket of the party.
Umahi had while reacting to Atiku’s victory during a visit of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Presidents to Ebonyi boasted that if he clinches the Presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress he will defeat former Vice President Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before noon on the election day.
Reports that after weeks of postponement, the ruling party inaugurated the presidential screening committee on Monday at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja and subsequently commenced the screening of the aspirants.
Reacting to the remarks in a statement issued Monday in Abuja, the President of the group, Pascal Oluchchukwu expressed concern that rather than congratulate Atiku, Umahi thought he could use the media to launch and launder himself before his floundering APC leaders and delegates.
It said, “Already, we know that none of his party leaders takes him as a contender in the race for the APC ticket as he has, in his timidity never even rallied any force within or beyond his region to be so truly considered an aspirant.
“Flowing therefrom, we consider such an infantile boast to defeat Atiku- a very influential former Vice President whose shoes we consider extremely too big for an Umahi to untie.”
The group noted that if Umahi sacrifices his “kidney” for the APC ticket, no sane person will entrust or gift him with the party’s presidential ticket.
The group said the presidential hopeful should desist from attacking personalities and making very empty boasts with his deceptive and cosmetic projects in Ebonyi.