The National Coordinator of the Association of Former APC State Chairmen (AFSC-APC), Chief (Hon.) Basil Ejidike JP, has called for an immediate truce and an end to all political attacks against the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, following the formal burial of Ms. Mary Habila and the disclosure of the circumstances surrounding her passing.
The controversy began when Ms. Habila, a medical staff member attached to Senator Umahi, died at his residence in Uburu, Ebonyi State. The tragic event sparked intense public scrutiny, with critics and political opponents demanding Senator Umahi’s resignation, an investigation, and his removal from office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The narrative, however, reached a turning point after Ms. Habila’s family formally laid her to rest in Nok, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In their official public statement and tribute, her family revealed that she had lived with a pre-existing heart condition and died of cardiac arrest, vindicating the Minister of any involvement.
Reacting to the developments, Ejidike, the immediate past Anambra State APC Chairman, called for a truce, urging the Minister’s detractors to lay the matter to rest and ‘bury their heads in shame.’
‘Now that the family of the deceased has come out openly and publicly to disclose the cause of the death of their daughter, Ms. Mary Habila, what option does the shameless and envious accusers of the Hon. Minister have?’ Ejidike asked.
He criticised those who exploited the personal tragedy for political vengeance, characterising calls for the Minister’s resignation as an extreme act of desperation.
‘That a staff/employee died within the facility of her boss, obviously wasn’t something that should have attracted such public reactions and outbursts,’ Ejidike stated. ‘The call for Sen. Umahi’s resignation and investigation was the height of their desperation to extract a pound of flesh from the Hon. Minister. Death, we all know, is a necessity that will come when it will.’
Ejidike, who is also the Chairman of the Governing Board, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, further noted that the President maintained unshakeable confidence in the Minister throughout the ordeal.
‘Again, the call on President Bola Tinubu to remove Sen. Umahi from office was pure madness and portrayed their dirty inner thinking and state of confusion,’ he noted. ‘Mr President, understanding the antics of these shameless traducers, simply responded by encouraging the Hon. Minister to ‘go and build more roads.’
Commending Senator Umahi for maintaining his composure throughout the public attacks, Ejidike observed that ‘a clear conscience fears no allegation’ and expressed optimism that the family’s statement would finally bring closure to the matter.
‘With the formal burial of Ms. Mary Habila by her family members to rest peacefully in the bosom of the Lord, our maker… I hope that the dust is finally settled for good,’ Ejidike concluded, praying for the repose of her soul.