BREAKING: Court Removes Dave Umahi As Ebonyi State Governor

Dave Umahi has been removed as Ebonyi State Governor by a court.

Newsone reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, sacked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and his Deputy, Dr. Eric Kelechi Igwe.

This online news platform understands that Dave Umahi’s removal as Ebonyi State Governor as well as his deputy, is coming after their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria’s main opposition party to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

In a judgment that was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, the court held that the total number of 393, 042 votes governor Umahi secured during the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state, belonged to the PDP and same could not be legally transferred to the APC.

The court noted that having defected to the APC, both Umahi and his deputy, not only jettisoned the PDP, but also the votes that belonged to it.

According to the court, 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 court 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.

Therefore, the Federal High Court ordered that both Umahi and Igwe immediately vacate their positions.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the court 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 a fresh gubernatorial election in Ebonyi state in line with section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

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

The judgment sacking Dave Umahi as Ebonyi Governor followed a suit the PDP lodged before the court.