The Ebonyi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has adopted Governor David Umahi as its sole candidate for the 2019 polls.

The state PDP chairman, Chief Onyekachi Nwebonyi, announced this on Tuesday when he led the working committee of the party to pay Christmas homage to the governor in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area.

Nwebonyi, who said they were in Uburu to felicitate with and thank the Governor for his achievements within a short period of time, pledged their total support and loyalty to Umahi whom, he said, was the best in the country.

“On behalf of the state EXCO of our great party, we hereby adopt you as our sole candidate for governorship position, come 2019,” the party Chairman said in a statement on Wednesday by the Governor’s spokesman, Emma Anya.

Nwebonyi thanked Umahi for increasing the monthly stipend of party executives and those at the ward level.

In his response, the Governor thanked the PDP working committee but charged them to work assiduously by holding party meetings even in the local and ward levels to enlighten people on the activities of government.

Informing the delegation that his government would partner the PDP in 2017 in the area of agriculture, he advised them and other stalwarts of the party to ensure they had a farm.

He said: “If you are in leadership at any level of our party, you must have to engage in rice production. We are looking at maize also; our yam is the biggest in the whole country, if not in the whole of Africa. One who doesn’t have farm land is not a member of PDP.”

Umahi added that his administration would by January empower more than 4,000 people as over N1billion had been set aside to execute the programme.

Earlier, the National Vice-Chairman of the PDP (South-East), Deacon Austin Umahi, charged the state executive of the PDP to go down to their villages and wards to evangelise the good works of the governor.

He said those interested in running for the governorship poll in the 2019 must realise that there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State.