Umahi’s brother withdraws from Ebonyi Senate race

Austin Umahi, a younger brother to the immediate past governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, Friday, withdrew from Ebonyi South senatorial by-election.

Austin had indicated his interest in contesting in the Senate rerun exercise on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a press briefing on Monday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the rerun for February 2024 after Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared the seat vacant.

Mr Umahi, the former governor, had won the Senate seat for the district in the 2023 election on the platform of the APC but resigned from his position after President Bola Tinubu appointed him as Nigeria’s minister of Works and Housing.

Withdrawal

Nwaze Umahi, the eldest son of Umahi’s family, announced the development in a statement which was forwarded to reporters by Austin on Friday.

Nwaze said the family, after their meeting on Thursday, prevailed on Austin to “shelve his legitimate ambition” in order to give peace a chance because “no position is worth spilling the blood of anybody.”

He said the family believes that no sincere person who wants to serve the people in any capacity ought to fight for it.

His withdrawal followed the zoning of the position to Onicha Local Government Area by the State Working Committee (SWC) of the APC which was reportedly sanctioned by the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru.

But Nwaze said the family is aware that the zoning of the position by the Ebonyi APC SWC “has no place in law.”

He argued that it is the “exclusive preserve” of the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) or the National Working Committee to zone political offices if need be, and to organise party primaries for all elective offices.

“The family is fully convinced that it is the inalienable constitutional right of Austin Umahi, as a member of the APC and Nigerian citizen of Ebonyi South Senatorial District, to contest the APC primary for the rerun election to the vacant Ebonyi South Senatorial seat notwithstanding the purported Ebonyi APC SWC resolution,” he stated.

“The whole essence of the purportedly Ebonyi APC SWC resolution is to oust Austin Umahi from contesting the primary in view of the clear evidence on the ground that Austin enjoys an overwhelming grassroots support capable of granting him an outright victory in a free and fair APC primary and re-run elections in Ebonyi South.”

Nwaze stressed that APC has a “moral burden” to give Austin “the right of first refusal in Ebonyi South senatorial rerun election” having earlier won the party’s senatorial ticket but stepped down for Mr Umahi, who was the then governor of the state.

He contended that Austin is a reliable APC member who has worked “selflessly and relentlessly” for victories of the party in Ebonyi, including working as the director-general of Governor Nwifuru’s campaign organisation.

“Austin Umahi has never enjoyed any political appointment, notwithstanding that he was the same person who dropped his position as National Vice Chairman of the PDP to defect to the APC with the then Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, and joined since then in building the APC in 2020,” he said.

He added that the family decided to appeal to Austin to shelve his ambition to allow peace and then “disappoint all those people who want to engender crisis and anarchy in Ebonyi South Senatorial District.”

“The family immensely appreciates Austin Umahi for accepting to drop his just ambition and thank his teaming supporters for their sustained support even after the purported Ebonyi APC SWC resolution,” Nwaze added.

Zoning

The leadership of the APC, in a communique issued on Tuesday, announced the zoning of the Senatorial district ticket to Onicha Local Government Area of the state, barely 24 hours after Austin declared his intention to contest in the rerun election.

The communiqué was signed by the State APC Chairperson, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, and other members of the party’s SWC.

The statement indicated that Governor Nwifuru is in support of the zoning arrangement.

The APC explained that the decision was because the Ohaozara Local Government Area, where the Umahi family comes from, already has a ministerial seat, INEC resident electoral commissioner and a senior special assistant to the president in its kitty.

The party stressed that it was threading the path of equity and justice with the zoning of the senatorial district ticket to Onicha Local Government Area of the state.

“Afikpo North Local Government Area produced the Deputy Governor and a House of Representatives member, while Edda Local Government Area produced the state party chairman.

“Ivo Local Government Area has a House of Representatives member, Ohaozara Local Government Area has a minister, INEC resident electoral commissioner and a senior special assistant to the president.

“Onicha Local Government Area has none and in the spirit of equity and justice as propagated by the party’s leader, the vacant seat should be zoned to it,” the party said in the communiqué.

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The party added that it was in total alignment with the state governor on the decision.

“The SWC is in tandem with our leader’s philosophy of ensuring peace and peaceful coexistence in all parts of the state,” the communiqué read.

Background

Austin was the winner of the 28 May primary of the APC ahead of the 2023 general election. When the first primary was held, Mr Umahi was still seeking to be the APC presidential candidate.

After losing the APC presidential ticket, the former governor returned to Ebonyi.

His brother subsequently withdrew from the race apparently to allow for another primary for the former governor to participate.

The party, consequently, held a second primary election on 9 June which was won by the former governor, who equally won at the general elections.