By Emeka Okafor
David Umahi, the sacked governor of Ebonyi State, has boasted that he would not obey the ruling of the Abuja Federal High Court which ordered his sack as governor on Tuesday.
The governor also described the ruling as ‘non and void’, stressing that a court of equal jurisdiction had previously ruled in his favour.
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the sack Governor Umahi, and his Deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressive Congress.
Ekwo, while delivering judgement on the case, held that the total number of 393,042 votes Umahi secured at the 9th March 2019 Ebonyi State governorship election, belonged to the PDP, hence, he could not legally transfer them to the APC.
But reacting to the ruling, Umahi said he had earlier secured a judgement upholding his defection to the APC.
He also cited a similar judgement from Zamfara state, saying he had chosen not to obey the judgement delivered by the Abuja Federal High Court.
“Regarding the judgement, it’s non and void. There’s a subsisting judgement in Zamfara State and there is also a judgement in Ebonyi State. We have chosen the one to obey. We’ll not obey his ruling (Justice Ekwo). We’ll obey the ruling of a competent court of equal jurisdiction which says you cannot sue a governor. The sections of the constitution are very clear.
“I want to say to the nation that there’s a need to look at the integrity of the judiciary because if the judiciary begin to rule against well laid down matters. The citizens of this country may decide not to obey this jungle justice.
“And this is very important, he thought he had already embarrassed me but I have already have another judgement in my favour”, he said.
