Umahi’s sack: PDP  nominates Igariwey, Gov, Udeogu, Deputy

 

.Wants INEC to issue Certificates of Return, conduct fresh election in 17 Assembly seats

.I remain Ebonyi State Gov -Umahi

.’I ‘ll  appeal court judgment’

 

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja  and Clement Nnachi (abakaliki)

 

In compliance with a Federal High Court judgment sacking the Ebonyi State governor, Engineer Dave Umahi and his deputy Kelechi Igwe, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has nominated Iduma Enwo Igariwey Fred Udeogu as replacement for the governor and deputy governor respectively.

 

Governor Umahi and his Deputy were sacked on account of their unlawful defection from the PDP to APC. The court declared their defection unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void and ordered them to immediately vacate their offices.

 

Justice Inyang Ekwo in a judgment on Tuesday ordered Umahi and his deputy to immediately stop holding themselves out as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State.
The judge held that the votes that brought them to office belonged to the PDP and cannot hold on to the votes having elected to jettison the party that nominated them.

 

In the same ruling, the court also sacked the 17 members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly who also defected with the governor and his deputy into the APC.

 

Gov. Umahi, his deputy and the 17 lawmakers were elected on the PDP platform in 2015 and again in 2019, but defected to the APC on November 17, 2020, citing “injustice done to the South-East.”

 

However, the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu while announcing the replacement of both the governor and his deputy said, “First, we want to appreciate the Nigerian Judiciary for this landmark judgement. The ruling will bring order in the political space and check the issue of political rascality and stolen mandates. The judiciary is indeed the backbone of this democracy.

 

“We also want to single out Justice Inyang Ekwo for special recognition, particularly for being courageous and forthright in going for the substance of the law rather than the technicalities.

 

“And in line with the court order, PDP is immediately submitting to INEC the names of our candidates for Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi state respectively.

 

“We are also calling on INEC to immediately issue the Certificates of Return to the PDP nominees as replacement for Messrs Umahi and Igwe pursuant to the Order of the Honourable Court.

 

“Furthermore, we call on the Chief Judge of Ebonyi state to immediately swear them in as soon as INEC issues the requisites Certificates of Return.

 

“And lastly, we call on INEC to immediately withdraw the Certificates of Return from the 17 lawmakers and commence the process of conducting bye-elections to replace them.”

 

Meanwhile, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has described  the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, that sacked him and his Deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) as a Jungle and purchased judgement that was unconstitutional.

 

Addressing newsmen in abakaliki in Tuesday, Umahi said the court headed by Justice Inyang Ekwo, has no power to remove him as Governor.

 

He emphasized that he would file appeal   against the judgement.”It is a Jungle Justice that is

purchased, the Supreme Court has ruled in the Case of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that no law empowers the Court to remove a sitting Governor”

 

Umahi reiterated that he remains the Governor of Ebonyi State, stating “Justice Ekwo thought he has to embarrass me’

 

He urged the people of the State to relax stating “I want you to relax, my office is still there, I believed that he was influenced”

 

‘The judgement  of Zamfara State sai you have no Right to sue a sitting Governor”

 

‘We have petitioned him to NJC, we will follow It up to Supreme Court”

 

Speaking against the backdrop of the  sacking of 16 Lawmakers of the State House of Assembly that defected from the PDP to the APC, Umahi said that the Supreme Court has ruled that

the sacking of the Speaker /Lawmakers must be done by members of the State

House of Assembly.

 

“Justice Ekwo has no power to declare the seat of the Speaker vacant’

 

The judgement delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that both Umahi and his deputy, not only jettisoned the PDP, but also the votes that belonged to it.

 

It 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 politcal party”.

 

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

 

It held that the PDP is bound to retain the votes and mandate 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 therefore ordered both Umahi and Igwe to immediately vacate their positions.

 

It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately receive from the PDP, names of persons to replace Umahi and his Deputy, or in the alternative, conduct fresh gubernatorial election in Ebonyi state in line with section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

 

The court further restraining both Umahi and Igwe from further parading themselves as governor or deputy governor of Ebonyi state.

 

The judgement followed a suit the PDP lodged before the court.