A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State, on Friday, has disqualified Governor Dave Umahi from contesting the 2023 senatorial election in the 2023 general election under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The court thereafter recognized Princess Ann Agom-Eze, as the senatorial candidate of APC, after the younger brother of the governor, Mr Austin Umahi, stepped down after winning the first primaries that was conducted by the party.
Governor Umahi through his Counsel, Roy Nweze Umahi, had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, to compel the commission to recognise the governor as the authentic senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South senatorial District.
But Princess Agom-Eze, on Tuesday, approached the court and urged it not to recognise Governor Umahi’s Senatorial bid.
Umahi’s Counsel argued that the governor’s name should be recognised by INEC, hence the 1st winner of the Ebonyi South Senatorial primary election which took place at Afikpo North Local Government Area, in the state.
Judge said Governor Umahi cannot participate in the primary
While delivering his judgement, Justice Fatun Riman, cited section 115 of the Electoral Act 2022, saying the governor was not an aspirant and cannot participate in the election or pre-election matters of the All Progressives Congress as regards the Ebonyi South zone, whose primary held on the 28th day of May, 2022.
The judge said that according to the above section of the new Electoral Act, the governor neither procured forms for nor participated in the election and cannot claim any right based on the primary election.
In their reaction, the Counsel to Mrs Agom-Eze, Barr Nwonu Nnaemeka, said his team’s argument was that upon the withdrawal of Austin Umahi from the primary election, she should claim all her rights as regards the exercise, being the second runner-up.
What you should know
- Recall that Umahi‘s younger brother, Chief Austin Umahi, had emerged as the winner of the first primary election conducted by the APC.
- But after losing at the APC presidential primary election, the Ebonyi State chapter of the party cancelled the earlier primary and rescheduled another one where the governor won the rerun election to pick the ticket.
- The rescheduled Ebonyi South APC Senatorial primary election was later held at the Afikpo North Local Government Council, with Umahi clinching the party’s senatorial ticket after other contestants, including his younger brother, stepped down for him.
- The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, had earlier said that politicians who procured multiple forms were criminals and risk 2 years imprisonment.
