Governor Martins Elechi of Ebonyi State on Friday blamed the opposition for the widely publicized report credited to him that his state will not participate in the forthcoming national dialogue.
Speaking with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, he said his comment on the confab was twisted by the opposition to pitch him against the President.
The Governor who has come under severe attacks from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Presidency was reported to have described the national dialogue as a ‘ big joke’ and a waste of time while receiving some elders who paid him Christmas homage.
Elechi said his Chief Press Secretary had already denied the report, recalling that he led his state to the 2005 National Political Reform Conference organized during the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He therefore, vowed never to be distracted by those who are hell bent on causing disaffection between him and the Presidency.
His words, “Do you believe it? But you read my chief press secretary’s reaction to that and you also saw the reaction of the PDP, these are people who know me well and know what I stand for.
“So, I am not distracted by such organized attempt by the opposition to bring friction between me and the establishment. They won’t succeed, we are all for the national conference.
“And for those who don’t know, I led my state to the national political reform conference of 2005, I know the benefits accruing from it. Sometimes because of our inability to express ourselves properly, people don’t really capture what we say, they go about misquoting or are actually mischievous, I can’t be against that (national conference)”.
Asked why he was at the State House, Elechi said he was just on a routine visit to brief President Jonathan on issues concerning his state.
His words, “Every governor has to see the President mandatorily from time to time particularly as we are of the same family. When we have issues we have to consult him”.
