Court Sacks Gov. Umahi & Deputy Over Defection To APC

The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the seats of the Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, vacant, following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC)

The governor and his deputy defected from the PDP on whose platform they were elected into office in the 2015 and 2019 general elections to the APC.

Presiding over the court on Tuesday, March 8, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that the total number of 393, 042 votes governor Umahi secured during the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Ebonyi state, belonged to the PDP and same could not be legally transferred to the APC.

According to the court, having defected to the APC, both Umahi and his deputy, not only jettisoned the PDP, but also the votes that belonged to it. He, therefore, ordered the governor and his deputy to vacate office.

The Judge also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to receive names of candidates from the PDP to replace Messrs Umahi and Igwe.
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“There is no constitutional provision that made the ballot transferrable from one party to the other. The votes in any election in Nigeria are to political parties, and not candidates,” the judge held.