BREAKING: Umahi Joins Growing List Of Governors With COVID-19 Positive

Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state, has joined growing list of governors who have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).

Governor Imahi is the latest after Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta who contract the disease few days ago. The trio have since gone into isolation are currently receiving treatment.

BIGPEN reports the three other state governors who contracted COVID-19 before Umahi have since been successfully treated and returned to work. They are Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna).

Governor Umahi who announced his status in a statement he personally signed on Saturday, has since gone into self isolation.

Last week, he indicated that he would handover to his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, to take over the coordination of the state’s fight against the pandemic if he test positive to the dreadful disease.

“If I test positive, my deputy will carry on with the fight as a frontline worker, but we will be extremely careful and use zoom to do our jobs. No retreat, no surrender! We will fight this COVID-19 matter to the end,” he had told cabinet members in Abakaliki, the state capital.

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“We will have the public hearing on our proposed plan of the COVID-19 fight next week and either me or my deputy will head the meeting, and I will contribute through zoom, if I test positive”.

According to the Governor, his blood samples taken for test by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) returned positive though he still asymptomatic to the deadly virus.

He, however, urged the people of Ebonyi not be be alarmed but remained calm and observed all NCDC protocols, saying that he would work from home and attend meetings virtually.

Ebonyi has recorded 438 cases of the virus, as of Friday evening, 357 persons have been successfully treated and discharged while three have died.