Breaking: Governor Umahi, Deputy, Sacked Over Defection

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and his deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe were on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 sacked from office following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressive Congress, APC by a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja.

Justice Inyang Ekwo who gave the judgment held that the 393, 042 votes garnered by Umahi in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state, belonged to the PDP and same could not be legally transferred to the APC by the process of defection.

He as such asked the PDP to immediately provide new nominees to fill the two positions or in the alternative that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to conduct a fresh election to fill the vacancies created by the defections.

The court in its judgment observed that Umahi could not carry the mandate of the 393,042 persons who voted for him from the PDP to the APC and that in changing parties that he ought to have left the mandate given to him behind with the PDP.

The court held that going by the outcome of the governorship election, the office of the governor and deputy governor in Ebonyi state, “belong to the Plaintiff and no other political party,” the court held in rejecting the positioning of the APC flag upon the mandate of the PDP.

“There is no constitutional provision that made the ballot transferrable from one party to the other,” Justice Ekwo said.

The Court in dismissing the claims of Umahi said that the PDP was bound to retain the votes and mandate it got from the votes given the fact that the sacked governor and his deputy could not legally transfer the votes to the APC.

that was given to it by electorates in Ebonyi state, as both governor Umahi and his Deputy could not validly transfer same to APC.

The court, having sacked Umahi and his deputy from office upon the reason of their illegal defection, ordered that they should stop parading themselves as governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi state.

The judgement that sacked Umahi as governor followed a suit the PDP lodged before the court following his defection from the PDP.

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