By David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
The Director General of Governor Willie Obiano campaign organisation for the 2017 Anambra governorship election, Chief Victor Umeh has said that it was not true that former governor, Mr. Peter Obi spent his personal money to sponsor the campaigns of the Obiano’s first term.
Umeh said there was need to make the clarification because of the level of propaganda being peddled in the social media over N7 billion said to have been spent by Obi for Obiano’s election in the 2013 governorship election.
Addressing journalists during a maiden press conference as the Director General of campaigns, Umeh said he was national chairman of APGA at that time, and that the party held fundraising ceremonies in some states and abroad, and people contributed money for Obiano’s election, but Obi never accounted for any of the funds.
He said there was evidence that Obi was demanding money from the governor as money used for his election as his (Obi’s) mouthpieces were all over media houses in Anambra to tell the people of the state that those who sponsored Obiano wanted their monies back.
Umeh said, “I have even heard Obi on radio say that he sold his property in Abuja to sponsor Obiano, but that is not true. We raised funds in Lagos, Abuja and several cities, and Obi never accounted for them. I was the chairman of the party then, and I know these things.”
Speaking on the N75 billion which Obi said he left behind and has been squandered by Obiano, Umeh said the former governor was confused about how much he left behind.
“He had in a different fora said he left N100 billion, in some other places he says N75 billion, so he is confused about what he left behind. We are not disturbed about this because we know Obi.
“He did it while he was impeached in 2006. We worked hard to get him back to power, and immediately he returned, the first public speech he made was that Etiaba had squandered the N28 billion he left behind.
“We tried to stop him from toeing that line, telling him he should be thankful that he has been returned, but he insisted and that became an issue between him and Etiaba for many months. My brother Obi is like that and we know him,” Umeh clarified.
Umeh said Obiano had proven himself to be a competent governor in just three years and six months, and that he was sure Anambra people would not fail to return him.
He urged political parties, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) to play by rule to ensure a successful gubernatorial poll. He also charged President Buhari to caution members of his party to avoid intimidating the people of the state using federal might.
Â
