Only Digital Candidate With Pedigree Will Succeed Me – Gov. Umahi

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has told individuals aspiring to take over from him in 2023 that only a digital candidate with pedigree will succeed him.

Umahi made the assertion on Thursday in Abakaliki during the grand finale of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Local Government Area elections’ rally at the Pa Ngele Oruta stadium Abakaliki.

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The governor then advised aspirants without such credentials to stop ‘going up and down’ to vie for the position but endeavour to ‘affirmate’ their backgrounds.

“The governorship position has been extended and is not for people who are not Information Communication Technology (ICT), compliant.

“No amount of politicking or provocation will distract me, I still have works to do but will devote the last year of my administration to politics,” he said.

Umahi, however, assured all aspirants that none will be disenfranchised and promised the PDP national leadership that he would not be for or against any aspirant.

“Someone can even be in the National Assembly for 20 years but provided your people still want you, you will go back.

“You will only be angry with me if you expect me to anoint you but my anointing is finishing and I am looking for another,” he said.

He thanked the national chairman of the party and his executives for effectively, ‘navigating’ its leadership, urging the party to embrace electronic voting.

“The incessant shedding of blood during elections worries me as electronic voting will check all desperations and struggles recorded during elections.

“Our candidates for the Aug. 29, LGA polls in the state will represent the party creditably and have the support of the people,” he said.

Chief Uche Secondus, PDP National Chairman, thanked the party faithful for welcoming the national leadership to the state noting that he was convinced that Ebonyi was entirely, a PDP state.

“I can only describe the governor’s magnificent works in the state as miraculous and we kept asking him where he sourced the funds to executive such projects,” he said.

Secondus implored the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to embrace electronic voting to check incessant killings and other forms of electoral violence in the country.

“There is no need to kill anybody and if people can vote from their homes there will be no insecurity during elections,” he said.

Chief Onyekachi Nwebonyi, state PDP Chairman, said that the party will win overwhelmingly in the council polls as the governor’s giant strides had done the campaign for them.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that goodwill messages were delivered by the party’s stakeholders at the state and national level regardless of the absence of the three senators from the state among other national assembly members.