PBA ReporterThe embattled Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi has gotten a breath of fresh air as the High Court of Ebonyi State has ruled that the governor and his deputy, Eric Igwe shall remain in office against the towering odds.
Insisting that the latest judgment was one in rem so took precedence over the federal high court judgment, the Ebonyi court ordered the duo not to vacate their seats as governor and deputy governors, respectively.
The trial judge asked all warring parties to sheathe their swords now and abide by the latest judgment.
According to the court order, which read in part: “…the same relied on the supreme court judgment in the case of IGWEMMA & Anor Vs OBIDIGWE & ORS to say that the judgment is binding on the parties in the litigation and others having anything to do with the status of the office of the Governor and Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State.”
Trouble started when Umahi and his deputy defected to All Progressives Congress, APC, but insisted on clinching to the reins of power, which the Peoples Democratic Party bequeathed to them.
Fast forward to the prelude of the fresh development, Umahi and Igwe were on Tuesday sacked on the grounds of their defection from PDP to APC while insisting they remained in power.
On this, they both went ahead to appeal the Federal High Court judgment that sacked them from office in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/920/2021.
Umahi and his deputy had argued that the Federal High Court erred when it said it had “not seen any authority which propounds that where Governor or Deputy Governor defects his political party on which platform he was elected into office, he cannot be sued by that political party to reclaim its mandate.”
Citing a thousand and one cases for backup evidence, Governor Umahi and his deputy also argued that the judgment erred in Grounds 5, 6, 7 and 8. This was as they asked the Court of Appeal to toss aside the judgment of the Federal High Court and reinstate them.
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