Honourable Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja Division has ordered the sack of the Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr David Umahi and his Deputy, Mr Kelechi Igwe, over their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court held that the governor and his deputy cannot continue to occupy office having defected from the party on whose platform they came into office. Rumours had it that the APC has lured Umahi to crossover as a sure step to realise his ambition to become Igbo president come 2023, a move that may have now backfired.
Dave Umahi and his deputy had contested and won the 2019 governorship election on the platform of the PDP but later defected to the APC. Their action had incurred the wrath of the PDP, which dragged them to court to challenge their continued stay in office having left the PDP that brought them to power.
Delivering judgment (today) in the suit on Tuesday March 8, 2022, Justice Ekwo held that since candidates contest election under the platform of political parties, the votes and the victory in any election therefore belongs to the party and not the candidates.
Justice Ekwo subsequently ordered that Umahi and his deputy should vacate office immediately having decamped from the party through which they won election as governor and deputy. The judge directed the PDP to bring up the runner up of its governorship primary or in the alternative conduct another primary election that would present a new governor in Ebonyi State.
