Why we can’t act on court judgement sacking Umahi as Ebonyi governor – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has suspended action on the court judgement removing David Umahi as Governor of Ebonyi State.
A Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier ruled that Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe be removed from office for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But INEC in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye said it can’t act on the judgement because it has received many conflicting judgements on the matter.
According to Okoye, the commission has been served 12 court processes on the defection of Umahi; his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, and 16 members of the state House of Assembly.
He said INEC would stay action on the matter because of the conflicting court judgements.
“It will be recalled that the Commission met on Thursday 17 March 2022 on the matter, 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 served on it in the light of the previously served ones and advise the Commission comprehensively.
“Since then, the Commission has been served yet more court processes on the same matter, bringing the total to twelve. The Commission deliberated extensively on these cases and decided to further suspend action on the defection of the governor and the 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) in the light of the conflicting judgements and orders served on it from Courts of coordinate jurisdiction,” Okoye said.
“The Commission also considers it prudent to stay action on the conflicting judgements and orders being aware of the pendency of Appeals and Motions for Stay of Execution of some of the judgements before various divisions of the Court of Appeal.”
