Court removes Umahi as governor over defection to APC

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi to vacate office after his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment, also ordered Dr. Eric Igwe to stop parading himself as deputy governor of the state.

Justice Ekwo declared that having defection from the PDP, under which platform they came into power and defected to the APC, the duo had deemed to have resigned from the office and, hence, no longer entitled to be called the governor of deputy governor.

The judge said it was constitutionally wrong for a candidate elected into an office on a platform of a political party to defect to another political while still holding the office.

He 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.

Justice Ekwo had, on Jan. 19, fixed today for the judgment in the suit filed by the PDP against the governor and his deputy.