Torrents of commendations have continued to hit a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh for leaving APGA for the Labour Party just barely six days after suffering defeat over his failure to pick the APGA senatorial ticket for Anambra Central.
The decision of Umeh to quit the party was as a result his disastrous political outing in May 2022 where he was defeated in the party’s primary by a serving member of the House of Representatives representing Dunikofia/ Njikoka/ Anaocha Federal Constituency, Honourable Ferdinard Dozie Nwankwo.
However, Umeh’s decision to carry on with his Senatorial bid under the LP comes with a huge price of riding on the social image of Peter Obi, a man whom Umeh had taken as a preoccupation to castigate for over 10 years.
Following his Defection to the LP after his rejection at APGA, notable Nigerians have continued to react to Umeh’s Defection with so many describing his act as selfish, driven and shameful.
On Thursday, Anambra Justice Forum ( AJF) an organisation dedicated to providing free legal services to vulnerable groups and personalities, noted that Umeh’s Defection to Labour Party was to fulfil his selfish Senatorial ambitions after he was rejected at APGA at the free and fairly contested primary election.
In a statement signed by the State coordinator , Comrade Matthew Ejiofor in Awka, the group expressed disappointment saying that judging by the humiliating defeat Anambrarians would have expected Umeh to realise that his time in Nigerian Politics is up. It further pointed out that Umeh’s unholy Alliance with Peter Obi in LP is a collective insult on the sensibilities of Anambrarians including Nigerians as whole.
Recalling how Victor Umeh stoked the crisis that rocked APGA over the years , the group also recalled how Umeh had told the public on countless occasions that Peter Obi is corrupt , a liar and a hypocrite.
The group also asked Victor Umeh to give an account financial misappropriation leveled against him in which he has been accused serially of collecting huge amount of money running into several millions from different governorship candidates of the party in Imo State and Anambra state promising each of them of getting the ticket.
Urging him to quit Politics and save his face the group said Victor Umeh is only doing himself more political damage stressing that his attempt to ride on the image of Peter Obi to become Senator is dead on arrival.
Part of the statement read; “Umeh had taken it as a preoccupation to attack Peter Obi, laying all soughts of allegations on the Labour party Presidential Candidate. His loss was unexpected but his decision to join the Labour Party after wrecking APGA is insulting to our collective sensibilities.
“Prior to joining the LP , Umeh sustained a consuming feud with Peter Obi, during which Umeh had told the press on countless occasions that Peter Obi lied that he left N75 billion in the coffers of Anambra State when he left as Governor but rather left N185 billion debt.
“Asides labelling Peter Obi a “liar” , Victor Umeh had also described Obi as corrupt at various press conferences during which Umeh narrated how Peter Obi stashed dollars invested abroad by his government and the bonds had remained inaccessible by subsequent governments adding that some of the bonds will mature in 2030.
“Now that Umeh has moved to the Labour Party does he expect us to vote for any of them after all the series of allegations , do they take us as fools? The group queried.
Victor Umeh, a former Senator under APGA, had also been accused of a series of corruption allegations amongst which includes extortion from political aspirants during and after his tenure as National Chairman of the party.