Sack of Umahi: SDP Gov’ship candidate to join suit at Appeal Court

…PDP nominees not qualified to run election

The Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP in the 2019 general election, Ebonyi State, Barr. Ndubuisi Onwe Chibueze, Tuesday, said he would join the suit, sacking Governor David Umahi and his Deputy, Kelechi Igwe from office at the Appeal Court, Enugu, as an interested party.

Chibueze who stated this during a press conference in Abakaliki added that the decision of his party “will enable the court capture and ventilate our position for possible considerations in the cause of doing justice in the matter and for Ebonyi State.”

“Having succinctly pointed out my observations in the whole imbroglio in very clear terms, and in my capacity as the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2019 General Election, the election now turned contentious in past weeks, after due consultations with my campaign organization, party and other relevant stakeholders, we have resolved to join the matter in the Appeal Court as an interested party. “

The former Commissioner for Education who served under the administration of former Governor Martin Elechi argued that if eventually the Appeal Court orders “a fresh election today, PDP has been disqualified as their recent nominees are not qualified to join the race at this stage.”

“Let me stress once more, the court cannot illegally equip PDP or any other party for that matter with remedy not supported by our law and common sense. If the court has sacked the Governor who is the only qualified candidate in the 2019 General Election for that position, it stands that PDP has completely lost out and there is nothing the court can do to revive a putrid animal in this case. It is rotten and the party has to accept that position, Period.

“If an order is given for a fresh election today, PDP has been disqualified as their recent nominees are not qualified to join the race at this stage. Our laws are very clear on that. I read the text of the press conference issued by the PDP National Chairman in Abuja recently wherein he nominated two persons for INEC to issue Certificate of Returns and to be sworn in as governor and deputy governor respectively in Ebonyi State.

“The nominees are strangers to the 2019 Governorship Election in Ebonyi State. They are estopped from flying that flag by virtue of our laws. Their case would have been different if they had participated in the PDP primaries for the governorship election in 2019. The record is there with INEC and it is also public knowledge.”

According to him: “Whereas I have read and dissected the judgment of the Federal High Court Abuja delivered on 8th day of March 2022 by Honourable Justice I.E. Ekwo in a matter instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressive Congress (APC), Engineer David Umahi; and Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe.

“This is the first time in the country’s political history that a political party has approached the court of law to challenge a sitting governor for defection from the party to another party.

“The second arm of the judgment is for INEC to order for a fresh election in Ebonyi State in accordance with section 177(c) of the 1999 constitution, excluding the 3rd and 4th defendants who are disqualified from participating in the election by virtue of section 182(1)(b) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) arising from the abandonment of the majority lawful votes.

“If the sole candidate has been disqualified, by implication PDP has been disqualified by the judgment when placed side by side with the extant laws.

“PDP seems not to have envisaged a situation where their candidate will abandon the ship by way of defection and as such did not prepare for a successor. The party has abandoned their candidate and their votes; or their candidate has abandoned them and their votes.

“Whichever way you put it, they have lost out completely. That is their own kettle of fish. What is clear in law is that they cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time.

“As a party, we are on our own. We are not in support of the other parties involved in the suit. We have not seen any clear difference between both APC and PDP in this case. They are the same people and the same actors. They are friends and allies in ego-shopping and catch-power tricks. Let nobody deceive us. We must evaluate both the message and the messenger. They are all in power and in money feeding fat at the expense of the ordinary man.

“We are not happy with the crises as a people and must join hands towards finding lasting peace and justice for Ebonyi people. Ebonyi is above any individual and we must put our people first.”

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