Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, has opposed the assertion of former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode that he contributed to his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor while speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday announced that the ex-minister needs to withdraw the statement, which he said is an insult to his person and colleagues.
“I think he needs to withdraw that statement, he’s my good friend but, it was an insult on 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 the 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 center of administration;
“I moved to close the gap between the center 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,” he said.
Meanwhile, on the issue of Value Added Tax (VAT), the governor distanced himself from the communiqué issued by the Southern Governors Forum, which said that states should collect VAT.
Umahi had earlier said that it was right for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to collect VAT and redistribute to states, and not the opposite.
He explained that allowing states to collect VAT will bankrupt about 30 states as some states would have so much, while poorer states will collapse.
However, the Southern Governors at the end of their meeting in Enugu on Thursday agreed to back the decisions of the Rivers and Lagos State governments to enact laws that will allow them to collect VAT.
