Fani Kayode Insulted Me - Ebonyi State Gov, Umahi Reveals Details

The governor, who made this known on Friday when spoke on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily breakfast programme monitored by Saturday PUNCH, described as an insult the claim by Fani-Kayode that he was instrumental in his defection last year.

The ex-minister made the statement while speaking to journalists after he was presented to the Buhari.

Fani-Kayode had hinted at the possibility of the governors of Bauchi, Enugu and Oyo states dumping the PDP and joining him in the APC.

But speaking on television on Friday morning, Umahi said Fani-Kayode must withdraw his statement, adding that the ex-minister was "neverÔÇØ part of the discussions that led to his defection.

The governor said, "He (Fani-Kayode) needs to withdraw that statement. He is my good friend but it was an insult to my person and the other governors. The man did not know when I moved but, incidentally, he visited me and we discussed and he said he was coming to join me with other governors to declare.

"How would somebody in PDP be instrumental to my moving, a whole governor of a state, not even a small governor - an experienced governor. So, he has to withdraw the statement; he was never part of any discussion of my movement. I moved the South-East to the centre of administration; I moved to close the gap between the centre and South-East which our forefathers, like Nnamdi Azikiwe, fought for. He remains my friend but he played no role in my movement and I am sure he did not play any role in the movement of others.ÔÇØ