Umahi laments family members conspired against him in protest
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Ebonyi Governor Dave Umahi has disclosed his family members conspired against him to vote for Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi at the February 25 election.
Another Governor, Godwin Obaseki of Edo, had warned politicians late in 2022 to sit up or see the takeover of Nigeria by Obidients who are determined to uproot and replace bad leadership at all levels of governance.
Obaseki announced his own family members were Obidients who made him jittery. And truly Obi won Edo in the presidential vote.
Obi lost the overall vote, but he has taken the case to court where he says he will reclaim his “stolen” mandate.
Umahi acknowledged on Channels Television he hadunderestimatedObidients who surprised him by carrying Ebonyi for Obi, as well as Lagos, the home base of President-elect Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Babatunde Fashola, former Lagos Governor now Works Minister, has described as a shock the loss of Lagos to the LP in presidential ballot.
Umahi equally expressed surprise that President Muhammadu Buhari lost his Katsina to Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
But he insisted Obi got protest votes because of the economic hardship in the country and other challenges.
“In all honesty, I didn’t give any chance to the Labour Party to win any election in my state (Ebonyi) because what we have put in place was such that no other political party should be able to win anything, not even councilorship election in my state,” Umahi said, according to Vanguard.
“I saw the Labour Party vote as a protest against my party (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I was very surprised; even in my family, there was a conspiracy against me. I did not know that they voted for Peter Obi, but in the other election, they voted for APC because of what we’ve done in the state.
“It was not a vote for His Excellency Peter Obi. As such, there is seemingly hardship and challenges in Nigeria.”
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Prepare for Obidients takeover, Obaseki tells leaders
Obaseki has repeated his alert in October 2022 the youth would vote and change the rotten political system in 2023 and “politicians will be kicked out of office” unless they changed their ways of corruption and bullion van politics.
Youths aged 18-35 constituted 71 per cent of new registered voters, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and it said they would determine who rules Nigeria from 2023.
“I am sure that we are all watching the development in the country very closely, particularly the evolving political development.
“It’s clear now that Nigerians are getting fed up with the government and those that represent them in government. We can see that in their reactions on social media and where their actions and emotions are headed,” Obaseki reiterated in Benin City in October 2022.
“For us as a government and representatives of our people, we would be hurting ourselves if we ignore the changes that are coming and believe that things are still the same. We will all be shocked as we are beginning to see.
“People are now beginning to realise that they need to demand more from people in government and those managing their resources and commonwealth; people will go out to vote their choice or interests.”
Obidients threaten survival of APC, PDP, says Obaseki
“How can PDP, they were not even number two [in the Ekiti election]. So, you can see that something is going on, and we do not want this to be the trend,” Obaseki said in June 2022.
“The future of our politics in this country is changing. I don’t know whether you are closely watching what is going on. The level of disenchantment with our existing parties!
“I’m sure in all our homes here, we have so many people now who call themselves Obidients. I don’t know whether you have them in your house. Just ask them which party are you, they say Obidients.
“They don’t want us. They are not talking about APC or PDP. They are looking for alternatives. And they are much more. You see all of them queuing for PVCs.
“They are not looking at the direction of APC or PDP. They are looking for alternatives. And if we don’t make our party attractive, I don’t know what will happen in the next election.”
2023 election result down to the wire
“No political party today can beat its chest and say they will win or have a clear victory in the next election in the country [in 2023],” he stressed in Benin City.
“People are watching and the only reason why people will leave their houses to polling units is because there is a reason to either vote for or against something. If they have not benefited, they are not likely to come out on Election Day.
“People will ask questions saying: ‘you have not done what you promised us, you have not delivered;’ people will react. Nobody will be spared.
“The new group will come in and will not spare the civil servants; they will put pressure on them and politicians will be kicked out of office.
“We are lucky in Edo State because we saw it coming and have laid down the roadmap and anticipated it coming but our challenge is that many people don’t believe it, thinking we have time and things will still happen the way they usually do.”
 presidential candidate Peter Obi){kind=link}