POLITICS
Umahi Dares Rule of Law Over His Sack
Says No One Can Remove Him as Governor
PDP Hails Judgement. Nominates Enwo Igariwey, Fred Udeogu as Gov, Dep Respectively
.Urges State Chief Judge to Swear them in
By Jude Opara, Gom Mirian, Abuja & Godwin Okeh, Abakaliki
Apparently laying a foundation for a locus classicus, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, sacked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and his Deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, from office, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
But both Umahi and his deputy will surely head for a superior court to seek to set aside the judgment. If it fails to upturn it, the Supreme Court would be the final destination, with his sack judgment becoming a locus classicus.
The court, in a judgment that was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that the total number of 393, 042 votes Umahi secured during the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state, belonged to the PDP and the same could not be legally transferred to the APC by means of defection.
According to the court, having defected to the APC, both Umahi and his deputy, not only jettisoned the PDP, but also the votes that belonged to it.
It held that 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.”
It held that the PDP was bound to retain the votes and mandate that were given to it by electorate in Ebonyi state, as both governor Umahi and his Deputy could not validly transfer the same to APC.
The court, therefore, ordered both Umahi and Igwe to immediately vacate their positions.
It further 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 followed a suit the PDP lodged before the court.
I Won’t Vacate Office for Anyone – Umahi
However, the beseiged Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has said that he remained the Governor of the state and will not vacate office for anyone.
Umahi, who described the judgement as a ‘sham’, accused Justice Ekwo of doing a hatchet job.
“Nobody can remove me as the governor of the state as we know where the judgement came from.
“Justice Ekwo has more than 10 cases against the state government and we will see where this leads him,” Umahi said.
The governor assured his supporters and the people of the state that he would complete his mandate.
“We have petitioned Ekwo before the National Judicial Council (NJC) as his continued stay on the bench is disaster for the country.
“People should not panic as I, the governor, is not distracted at all,” he said.
He said that the development will not affect his presidential ambition, noting that his legal team would appeal the judgement.
“The constitution stipulates that the only way a governor can be removed from office is through death, resignation or impeachment by the state House of Assembly.
“There is no constitutional provision that empowers a hatchet man to turn the constitution or law of the land on its head.
“The Supreme Court’s recent judgement on Zamfara among others attests to this fact as I remain the governor of the state.
PDP Picks Igariwey, Udeogu as Ebonyi New Governor, Deputy
Following the Tuesday Court judgement that sacked Ebonyi state Governor, David Umahi, and his deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has nominated Hon. Iduma Igariwey as replacement.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had sacked Governor Umahi and his Deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, following their defection from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, who disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja, hailed the judgement, saying “The judiciary is indeed the backbone of this democracy.”
He appreciated the Nigerian judiciary for what he described as a “landmark judgement”, saying the verdict will bring order in the political space and check the issue of political rascality and stolen mandates.
Ayu said the party nominated Hon Iduma Enwo Igariwey as a replacement for Governor David Umahi and Fred Udeogu as deputy governor and urged the Chief Judge of Ebonyi State to immediately swear them in as soon as INEC issues the requisites Certificates of Return.
He said: “We also want to single out Justice Inyang Ekwo for special recognition, particularly for being courageous and forthright in going for the substance of the law rather than the technicalities.
“And in line with the court order, PDP is immediately submitting to INEC the names of our candidates for Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State respectively.
“We are also calling on INEC to immediately issue the Certificates of Return to the PDP nominees as a replacement for Messrs Umahi and Igwe, pursuant to the Order of the Honourable Court.”
The PDP Chairman also called on INEC to immediately withdraw the Certificates of Return from the 17 lawmakers and commence the process of conducting bye-elections to replace them.
Other Govs Who Defected’ll be Affected’ – Shehu Sani
A former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has reacted to a court ruling which sacked the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi.
Sani said the court ruling would also affect other serving governors who defected.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of an Abuja Federal High Court had sacked Umahi as governor of Ebonyi State and his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe from office.
The judge sacked Umahi and his Deputy over their unlawful defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He ruled that the governor and his Deputy’s defection was unlawful, unconstitutional, null, and void.
The judge ordered them to vacate their offices immediately.
Ekwo held that the vote that brought the governor and his Deputy into office belonged to the PDP and that they cannot hold onto the votes having elected to jettison the party that nominated them.
Reacting, Sani, in a tweet, wrote: “The Court sacking of Ebonyi Governor will affect other serving Governors that defected.”
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
NDA Commandant Decorates Ombugadu, Others as Fellows of Solar Energy Society of Nigeria
ShareFrom Abel Zwànke, Lafia The 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, His Excellency Rt....
Yuletide: Bode George Urges Tinubu to Reduce Petrol Price
ShareChief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to...
Tinubu Set for Groundbreaking of Renewed Hope City in Lagos
Share President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in...
Gov. Alia Presents N550.1bn as 2025 Budget Estimate to Benue Assembly
ShareGov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House...
Tax Bills: NASS will not Betray the Trust of Nigerians, says Akpabio
Share The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly will prioritise the interest of all Nigerians...
Alia Has Demonstrated Capacity, Courage to Entrench Good Governance—Speaker
Share The Speaker, Benue Assembly, Mr Hyacinth Dajo, has said that Gov. Hyacinth Alia has so far demonstrated capacity, courage,...
Investors Gain N183bn on NGX
Share The Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) continued its bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining N183 billion. Accordingly, the market capitalisation, which...
Energy, Solid Minerals Top Priority, Tinubu Tells German Businessmen
Share President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, assured the German government and businessmen of Nigeria’s preparedness to expand frontiers for investors...
Nigerian Who Wrote WASSCE 17 Times Bags Distinction from London School
Share Dr Emmanuel Ahmadu, a Nigerian who wrote the West Africa School Senior Certificate Education 17 times, has earned a...
INEC Staff Welfare Association Warns Members Against Manipulating Election Results
Share The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of...