By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI—BARELY 24 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, as the winner of April 11 governorship election, Governor Martin Elechi and the Labour Party governorship candidate, Sir Edward Nkwegu, have approached him for reconciliation and pardon over the controversies surrounding the election.

Recall that Umahi had during his acceptance speech at Orsbon La Palm Hotel in Abakaliki, yesterday, threatened to probe all the Local Government Caretaker Committee Chairmen for allegedly squandering public funds during the last governorship election.

Elechi was reported to have through former Governor Sam Egwu, initiated a meeting with Umahi to bury the hatchet and accept him, even though he worked against him and the PDP during the election.

At the meeting which took place at Government House, Abakaliki, the governor advised the governor-elect to build effective human relationship across the state, assuring him that he would support him to deliver more democratic dividend to the people of the state.

Elechi, who was accompanied by the thirteen local government caretaker committee chairmen, affirmed before those in attendance that he actually promised to hand over to Umahi as the next governor but was deceived by his cohorts.

Responding, the governor-elect promised to consolidate on the developmental initiatives of governor Elechi, stressing that his administration would work assiduously towards the unity of the state.

The presence of the council Caretaker Chairmen in the reconciliatory meeting   was connected with the threat by the governor-elect to probe them for financial misappropriation and embezzlement.

However, Umahi’s victory was an affront to Elechi who anticipated that his successor might probe him on the financial misappropriation levelled against him by the state House of Assembly.