INEC: We’re yet to receive certified copy of judgment sacking Umahi

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is yet to receive the certified copy of the judgment sacking David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state, and his deputy.

Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, said this on Wednesday. On Tuesday, a federal high court sitting in Abuja ordered the removal of Umahi and his deputy, Eric Igwe, over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Inyang Ekwo, the judge, held that the 393,042 votes polled by Umahi in the March 2019 governorship election belonged to the PDP and cannot be legally transferred to the APC. Reacting to a question about whether the commission has made a decision about the pronouncement of the court, Oyekanmi said: the Commission had not received the Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Federal High Court on the matter. “It is only when this happens that the Commission will meet and take a decision.” Umahi had described the judgment as a “sham”, and accused Ekwo of doing a “hatchet job”. “Nobody can remove me as the governor of the state as we know where the judgement came from,” he said.

On the other hand,

Ebonyi Governor David Umahi and Deputy Governor Dr Eric Igwe have asked the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of a Federal High Court which ordered them to vacate their respective offices.

In a notice of appeal filed by their counsel, Chukwuma Ma-Chukwu Ume, SAN, the appellants have challenged the entire judgment delivered on Tuesday by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja High Court.

Ume equally filed a separate notice of appeal on behalf of the 16 state lawmakers that were removed by the judgment of the Federal High Court.

The appeal by Umahi and Igwe which was predicated on 11 grounds said the judge erred in law in arriving at its decision as “there is no provision of the 1999 Constitution that provides for the removal of the appellants as sitting Governor and deputy governor respectively of Ebonyi state for the reason of defection.