INEC To Decide On Court Ruling That Sacked Governor Umahi, Deputy Next Week

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is yet to take a decision on the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which sacked Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, and his deputy, Eric Igwe.

INEC To Decide On Umahi’s Sacking By Court

KanyiDaily recalls that on Monday, March 8, 2022, the court had ordered Umahi and Igwe to vacate their seats as Ebonyi governor and deputy over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

A statement on Thursday by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, said the electoral body is still celebrating on the matter due to the avalanche of court orders on its desk.

Okoye said the INEC has been served with nine separate Orders and Motions from different courts on the sack of Umahi, Igwe, and 16 lawmakers, adding that the commission will make its decision known to the public after its deliberation next week.

INEC also disclosed that it has been joined in 71 new cases in various courts across the country in the last three months, adding that many of those cases were not directly its concerns.

The statement reads, “The Commission was briefed by its Litigation and Prosecution Department, including an update on litigations, showing that in the last three months, the Commission has been joined in seventy-one new cases in various Courts across the country.

“Most of these cases, including the widely discussed one on Ebonyi State, involve either intra-party issues or litigants seeking for various reliefs from the Courts that entail consequential orders that are binding on the Commission.

“The Commission today listed this matter for deliberation. It involves Court cases on the defection of the Governor and Deputy-Governor of Ebonyi State and sixteen members of the State House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The Commission has been served with nine separate Orders and Motions from various Courts on this matter. Just as the Commission was about to commence deliberation on them, its attention was drawn to additional Court processes served today in respect of the matter.”

INEC said it has decided to defer its deliberation on the Ebonyi cases and “stepped down the listed Memorandum to enable its Legal Services and Clearance Committee to study the new processes in the light of the previously served ones and advise the Commission comprehensively”.

“The Commission will meet again next week to deliberate on the matter and thereafter make its decision public,” the statement said.

KanyiDaily recalls that Governor David Umahi had insisted that he’s still Ebonyi governor, adding that the court lacks the power to remove him from office with its judgment.