By Abia Onyike, Political Editor
Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, on Sunday, said no amount of gossip propagated by political jobbers could cause quarrels between him and a former governor of the state, Engr David Umahi.
According to him, such ploy by ‘politicians’ in the state was dead on arrival, describing Umahi as his ‘destiny helper’.
Nwifuru stated this at a post- inauguration Thanksgiving Service held in his honour at Saint Emmanuel Catholic Parish, Edukwachi community, in the Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, adding his appointment will not based on friendship.
While narrating his rise from a bus conductor to a brick layer, and to a speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly for eight years, the governor attributed his political successes to God and not man.
He said, “I want to tell politicians here, that everybody wants to be a friend to the present governor (Nwifuru) and a friend to the former governor (David Umahi). Some people want to cause crisis, and a lot of them (politicians) want to bring disaffection and they are gossiping. I ask, why are you gossiping? You don’t gossip to a siting governor.
“You are now gossiping me. The former governor, Umahi is my father. If he (Umahi) loves you more than me, he (Umahi) would have handed over to you (gossipers). He (Umahi) handed over to me because he loves me more than you (gossipers).
“For you to go to his house to gossip me or you calling him (Umahi), instead of you to allow the man to rest, and prepare for the nest journey at the National Assembly, you will be disturbing him.
“You are making a very terrible mistake, because two of us will discuss you (gossipers) and you will not be there. My purpose of being a governor is to unite everybody in this state. If there is enemy he (Umahi) created in the course of discharging his duty, my job is to reconcile the person with him. And not to create another enemy for him.
“I want to plead with our leaders who wants to occupy one position or the other to be patient and stop gossiping.”
“You that go to my ‘destiny helper’ and former governor David Umahi to gossip, what do you want?”, Nwifuru queried..
Reports from
Abia Onyike.
