Court sacks Governor Umahi, deputy over defection

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sacked David Umahi, and Dr. Eric Kelechi Igwe as the governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The governor and his deputy were sacked by Justice Inyang Ekwo who delivered judgment 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.

Ekwo further directed 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 defection.

The presiding judge said Umahi could not carry the mandate of the 393,042 persons who voted for him as the candidate of the PDP to the APC, adding that in changing parties, he ought to have left the mandate given to him behind with the PDP.

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Justice Ekwo ruled 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”.

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

The judgment that sacked Umahi as governor followed a suit filed by the PDP before the court following his defection from the main opposition party.

The Star