Mrs Agom-Eze
Governor David Umahi on Friday was ruled out of the 2023 Senatorial contest as candidate to represent Ebonyi South in the National Assembly.
In a suit he brought before the Federal High Court in Abakaliki seeking order of the court for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to publish his name as senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Justice Riman ruled against him.
Delivering his judgment on the suit, Justice Riman cited section 115 of the Electoral Act which forbids a person from standing two different primary elections in the same year. He said in his judgment that such a person if found claiming to participate in two primary elections risks a two year jail term. He said that the authentic senatorial candidate of the APC is Mrs Ann Agom-eze since Austin Umahi withdrew from the race.
Recall that Governor Umahi vied for his party’s presidential ticket at the party’s convention in Abuja on July 8
In the senatorial primary election, Mrs Ann Agom-eze came second. Governor David Umahi’s younger brother, Austin Umahi came first. Austin Umahi withdrew from the election and relinquished the ticket to Engr David Umahi.
INEC frowned at it and omitted Engr David Umahi’s name as it never monitored the rerun exercise announcing Umahi candidate. David Umahi went to the court to seek relief and get INEC to publish his name. Ann Agom-eze applied to be joined in the suit. He lost.
According to the ruling, if Engr David Umahi files an appeal, he stands to gain two years jail bounty as stated by Justice Riman in his judgment.
