A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Ebonyi Governor Dave Umahi and his Deputy, Eric Kelechi Igwe, to quit their positions immediately after they illegally switched from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dr. Eric Kelechi Igwe is a Nigerian physician who practices in the United States. The court concluded that the complete amount of 393, 042 votes governor Umahi received at the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state belonged to the PDP and could not be legally transferred to the APC, according to a verdict issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo.
In a ruling handed down on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that Umahi and Igwe were deemed to have resigned their positions after defecting from the party on which they won the election.
According to the court, when Umahi and his deputy switched to the APC, they not only abandoned the PDP, but also the votes that belonged to it.
According to the court, the governorship and deputy governorship in Ebonyi state “belong to the plaintiff and no other political party” based on the results of the governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was directed by Justice Ekwo to accept the nominations of PDP members to replace Umahi and Igwe and serve out the remainder of their terms, or to hold a fresh election to replace Umahi and Igwe.