Court sacks Ebonyi governor, deputy for defecting from PDP to APC

• I’m still Governor of Ebonyi — Umahi rejects sack by court

  The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sacked David Umahi and Eric Igwe as governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State respectively.

The trial Judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that the governor and his deputy who won the election on the platform of the PDP cannot defect to the APC and still hold the position of governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State.

He said it is a political party that sponsored a candidate that owns the votes cast during an election and held that the governor and his deputy cannot hold their positions as a result of their deflection to the APC.

The Court ordered PDP, the plaintiff in the matter, to present the names of its candidates to INEC for the post of Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi state.

The Court also ordered INEC to stop recognising David Umahi and Eric Igwe as Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi state and also ordered them to stop parading themselves as governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State.

Reacting to the ruling, the Governor said the ruling of an Abuja Federal High Court which sacked him from office is rejected.

Umahi maintained that he is still the governor of the state despite the court ruling.

The governor said the ruling would be disregarded by his followers.

Addressing journalists in his office in Abakaliki, Governor Umahi described the ruling as “jungle justice that was purchased.”

The governor insisted that such ruling was not a good development for the Judiciary.