Dave Umahi, The Governor Of Ebonyi State, Has Been Removed By The Court

Dave Umahi, The Governor Of Ebonyi State, Has Been Removed By The Court

A court has dismissed Dave Umahi as the governor of Ebonyi State.

On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, a Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, fired Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and his Deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe.

Dave Umahi’s ouster as Eboyi State Governor, as well as his deputy, is believed to be the result of their defection from Nigeria’s primary opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

The court concluded that the complete amount of 393, 042 votes governor Umahi received at the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state belonged to the PDP and could not be legally transferred to the APC, according to a judgment given by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

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The court pointed out that by defecting to the APC, Dave Umahi and his deputy had not only abandoned the PDP, but also the votes that had been cast in its favor.

According to the court, judging 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 court ruled that the PDP is obligated to keep the votes and mandate given to it by Ebonyi voters since governor Umahi and his deputy were unable to lawfully transfer them to the APC.

As a result, the Federal High Court ordered Umahi and Igwe to resign their jobs immediately.

The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately receive names of candidates to replace Umahi and his deputy from the PDP, or, in the alternative, to hold a new gubernatorial election in Ebonyi state in accordance with section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The court also barred Umahi and Igwe from claiming to be the governor or deputy governor of Ebonyi state in the future.

The ruling came after the PDP filed a lawsuit in court.