….Umahi’s Camp Reacts to Court Ruling on Senatorial Ticket

The camp of the governor of Ebonyi State Governor, Engr Dave Umahi has reacted to the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki awarding the senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Princess Ann Agom Eze.

In a statement issued by Special Assistant, Strategy to the Governor, Chooks Oko, the governor’s camp urged members of the public to ignore the court ruling as the court was misled by misrepresentation of facts, including an oath in which it claimed that Agom Eze lied.

The statement was titled ‘ignore the fake news regarding Ebonyi South APC Senatorial Seat’.

Oko clarified that the court ordered a rerun of the primary instead of awarding the ticket to Agom Eze as was being peddled in the media.

It read, “The attention of Ebonyi state Governor has been drawn to a mischievous fake news by one Mrs Ann Agom Eze, who contested the Ebonyi South APC senatorial primary election and got one vote, over the court judgement on Ebonyi South APC primaries.

“The judge was misled by Ann Agom Eze who lied on oath that she never withdrew from the contest.

“She further connived with her friend who is a member of the APC Working committee to submit forged documents purported to be coming from APC national headquarters.

“With these false information and the misleading of the learned judge, the pronouncement of the court was that THERE SHOULD BE A RERUN ELECTION WITHIN FOURTEEN DAYS where all the parties should participate.

“Ann Agom Eze and her PDP collaborators are ignorant of the wordings of section 115 of the electoral law they are quoting as the Governor was never a candidate in any two elections as they are oblivious of the difference between a candidate and an aspirant.

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“The public is enjoined to ignore the fake news and await the date of the ordered primaries where Ann Agom Eze and her collaborators will face another shame.

The ambition of the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr Dave Umahi of representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District at the Senate come 2023 has suffered set back.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State, on Friday, recognised Princess Ann Agom-Eze, as the Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor had approached the court through his counsel, Roy Nweze Umahi, to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to recognise him the authentic senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South senatorial District.

However, things took a dramatic turn when on Tuesday, Princes Agom Eze approached the court with a counter argument on the governor’s senatorial bid.

Umahi’s Counsel had argued that the governor’s name should be recognised by INEC, hence the first winner of the Ebonyi South Senatorial primary election which took place at Afikpo North Local Government Area, in the state, Austin Umahi had withdrawn.

It was gathered that Austin Umahi (the governor’s younger brother), a contender, stepped down at the second primary election conducted on June 9, 2022, which made way for the governor to emerge unopposed.

But, in his judgement, Justice Fatun Riman, relied on section 115 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Justice Riman noted that the governor was not an aspirant and cannot participate in the election or pre-election matters of the APC as regards the Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone because the primary held on May 28, 2022.

From the cited section of the new Electoral Act, the governor neither procured forms for nor participated in the election and cannot claim any right based on the primary election.

Recall that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, had warned that politicians who procured multiple forms were criminals and risk two years’ imprisonment.

In a swift reaction to the ruling, the Counsel to Agom Eze, Barr Nwonu Nnaemeka, pointed out that his team’s argument was as soon as Austin Umahi withdrew from the primary, Agom Eze should claim all her rights as regards the exercise, being the second runner-up.

Umahi’s Camp Reacts to Court Ruling on Senatorial Ticket

The camp of the governor of Ebonyi State Governor, Engr Dave Umahi has reacted to the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki awarding the senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Princess Ann Agom Eze.

In a statement issued by Special Assistant, Strategy to the Governor, Chooks Oko, the governor’s camp urged members of the public to ignore the court ruling as the court was misled by misrepresentation of facts, including an oath in which it claimed that Agom Eze lied.

The statement was titled ‘ignore the fake news regarding Ebonyi South APC Senatorial Seat’.

Oko clarified that the court ordered a rerun of the primary instead of awarding the ticket to Agom Eze as was being peddled in the media.

It read, “The attention of Ebonyi state Governor has been drawn to a mischievous fake news by one Mrs Ann Agom Eze, who contested the Ebonyi South APC senatorial primary election and got one vote, over the court judgement on Ebonyi South APC primaries.

“The judge was misled by Ann Agom Eze who lied on oath that she never withdrew from the contest.

“She further connived with her friend who is a member of the APC Working committee to submit forged documents purported to be coming from APC national headquarters.

“With these false information and the misleading of the learned judge, the pronouncement of the court was that THERE SHOULD BE A RERUN ELECTION WITHIN FOURTEEN DAYS where all the parties should participate.

“Ann Agom Eze and her PDP collaborators are ignorant of the wordings of section 115 of the electoral law they are quoting as the Governor was never a candidate in any two elections as they are oblivious of the difference between a candidate and an aspirant.

“The public is enjoined to ignore the fake news and await the date of the ordered primaries where Ann Agom Eze and her collaborators will face another shame.