Court’s Ruling: Governor Umahi Apologises To Justice Ekwo, NBA Over Alleged Attack *Don’t Jubilate yet, Until Supreme Court rules, Onwusoanya tells trolls
The Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi cleared the air over his alleged attack on Justice Inyang Ekwo of Federal High Court in Abuja and Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) over the judgment of his removal.
In his apologetic tone, the embattled Governor whose seat, alongside his Deputy’s was declared vacant yesterday by a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, explained amidst emotions that he did not attack either anyone following the Court’s Order.
Umahi made this known in Abakaliki the Ebonyi State capital while addressing peaceful protesters who came out in their numbers to protest against the ruling of Ekwo in Abuja yesterday
He alleged that the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, lawyers misled Justice Ekwo.
Our Correspondent in Ebonyi State, Emmanuel Nnaji gathered that Umahi said that the law of Ebonyi State will henceforth go against lawbreakers in that State.
Meanwhile, it was earlier rumoured that some aggrieved Ebonyians had barricaded the state Government House gate, thus denying the Governor and his Deputy access to the premises.
Famousreporters.com recalls that the court had, yesterday the sitting Governor who was expelled from his office yesterday, had, in a swift reaction, rejected the ruling of the Abuja Federal High Court which sacked him from office, insisting that he is still the governor of the state.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court in Abuja had, without emotions, ackeds Ebonyi State Governor and his Deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe, on anaan of their unlawful defection from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Consequently, the judge had ordered INEC to stop recognizing Umahi and his Deputy, adding that the PDP should send names to the electoral umpire as their replacement.
However, reacting to the rising divergent opinions as expressed by Nigerians particularly on the powers of Justice Inyang Enwo-led High court to remove Umahi on grounds of his defection, a Chieftain of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Jones Onwusoanya, who was formerly a State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, in a statement made available to the media today Wednesday, posited that Justice Inyang’s judgement didn’t say that the Ebonyi governor does not have a right to defect to another party, his judgement is that the seat he occupies belongs to the PDP.
According to him, “if the Certificate of Return issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to the Governor bears the Peoples Democratic Party, then we might be in the process of achieving a major milestone in our democratization process. But, if it doesn’t, then, the judgement might as well be as useless as the paper it is written on.
Continuing, Onwusoanya said, “the argument that because courts of concurrent jurisdiction had given a contrary judgement on the matter, Justice Ekwo’s judgement becomes invalid is wrong. Until the supreme court rules on this matter, then, no governor or elected official who defected from one party to another should rejoice yet”.
