Former Ebonyi governor, quits partisan politics

The immediate past governor of Ebonyi, Chief Martin Elechi, on Friday announced his resignation from active politics.

Elechi, 75, made this known in his country home Echialike in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state when he briefed newsmen on his planned thanksgiving ceremony on Saturday.

According to him, he has duly navigated the murky waters of the nation’s politics which makes it necessary to seek an `anchor-harbour’.

"At my age, I should be counseling and advising the younger generation and commenting on the affairs of all political parties without wearing the tag of any of them.

"I will not, however, condemn politicians who defect to other parties after general elections because it is a normal practice in the country and beyond with things viewed differently at such periods,” he said.

Elechi remarked that all parties had their problems and strong points which should make relevant stakeholders concentrate on effectively influencing the polity to achieve the desired stability.

"I will align myself with any party which helps the country achieve this objective, be it the (APC) or PDP and will not attach dividing lines on parties in the nation’s interest.

"This is because the people are older and more important than political parties while our shared values are more important than personalised interests,” he said.

He said that when the PDP started 'decimating’ during the electoral heat of 2015, he allowed his supporters to join other political parties using the taxi driver’s theory.

"I declared during a town hall meeting that when a taxi conveying passengers suddenly grounds, the driver will allow his passengers to seek alternative means of getting to their destinations while he remains to repair the taxi.

"I offer no apologies to anybody over what happened during the last elections as I stuck to my convictions and would repeat all I did then if the situations present themselves again.

"I will still stick to the principle that the party’s rules and constitution should be respected and that the president who is the leader of the party must be obeyed at all times.

"We would remain proud of taking these stands during the election period as their flouting became the party’s doom which led to its severe polarisation.

"The intense situation made the battle between the PDP and its former members, fiercer that the one between it and the APC, alongside other parties,” he said.

He maintained his position that the Labour Party won the last gubernatorial election in the state, noting that Umahi’s electoral victory was characterised by unimaginable level of malpractice.

"I refused to support him in succeeding me because he lacked the qualities of allowing opposing views to thrive and accommodating dissenting entities,” he said.

Elechi remarked that the thanksgiving ceremony was to appreciate God for life and other blessings while thanking his former cabinet members and other allies for their unflinching support since he left office.