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President Buhari Didn’t Ask Ngige To Run For Senate – Umeh

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3 years ago

July 4, 2022

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The Senator representing Anambra Central senatorial zone, Chief Victor Umeh has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige of dropping the name of President Muhammadu Buhari to deceive the people of the state.

Umeh, who spoke to journalists in Awka at the weekend, said Ngige has been going about saying the President was the one urging him to vie for a seat in the Senate on the premise that he would be made the Senate President.

Ngige had previous weekend told journalists that he was under pressure to vie for the senatorial position and that he would make his decision known soon, as to whether he would contest or not.

Umeh, while countering Ngige on his claims that he was being pressured to run, said, “Anyone is free to contest with me.

“Ngige told some people that the president told him to vie so he becomes Senate President, and told some traditional rulers that he was under pressure from some Igbo leaders to vie.

“He has been going about telling different people different things. He is simply dropping the President’s name and using it to deceive many people,” Umeh said.

Asked if he would stand for primary election in his party as against allegation that in 2015, he simply gave himself the ticket of the party as a parting gift after his tenure as national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, he said, “I will buy form and contest for the ticket of the party, and anyone is free to contest against me too.

“I can tell you that Governor Obiano has not blessed anyone, people are dropping Obiano’s name same way Ngige is dropping the President’s name.”

Umeh said he has been approached severally by his colleagues since the recent gale of defections hit the Nigeria political space, but he has stuck to his gun, insisting on remaining in APGA.

The senator also spoke against vote buying in elections, saying that it poses serious risk to democracy, but stating that the trend was ocassioned by the level of poverty in the country.

“This government promised to fight poverty, but that has not happened. We(Senate) can legislate against vote buying, but a hungry man must eat. The level of request I receive everyday from my constituents paints the picture of poverty in the land, and people must eat,” he said.