COURT REJECTS GOV UMAHI AS ASPIRANT IN SENATORIAL ELECTION

REPORTER: AMECHI ODO

A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki has dismissed a suit filed by Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept his name as the Party’s candidate for Ebonyi South Senatorial District in the forth coming Election.

The Court also ordered APC to conduct fresh primary for Ebonyi South Senatorial District within 14 days to accommodate Mrs. Ann Agomeze, who was the runner up in the APC Senatorial Primary election held on May 28, 2022 in line with section 33 of the Electoral Act as amended.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Fatun Rilman, the court held that Governor Umahi was not an aspirant in the election and following the withdrawal of Chief Austin Umahi, who won the primary, the first runner up in the said Primary, Mrs. Agomeze, should have been informed for a fresh Primary.

Justice Rilman noted that INEC was right to have rejected the name of Chief David Umahi and that APC ought to have conducted a fresh primary for the district.

Reacting, Counsel to Mrs. Agomeze, Mr. Nnaemeka Nwonu, described the judgment as perfect while efforts to get the reaction of the Counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Roy Umahi was not successful.

Meanwhile, Governor Umahi says the Justice Rilman of the Federal High Court Abakaliki was mislead with false information by the second defendant in the matter, Mrs. Agomeze.

A statement by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Strategy, Mr. Chooks Oko, claimed that Mrs. Eze lied on oath that she never withdrew from the contest.

The statement called on members of the public to ignore what it described as fakenews and wait for a date to be fixed for a rerun as ordered by the Court.

The statement said the Court ordered that aspirants of other political parties should participate in the rerun.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU