A Federal High Court sitting in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State capital, has disqualified Governor David Umahi and his brother, Austin Umahi, from contesting the senatorial election as the candidates of the All Progressives Congress for Ebonyi South.
Austin had emerged as the winner of the first primary election conducted by the APC whilst David had lost the presidential election to Bola Tinubu.
A rescheduled Ebonyi South APC Senatorial primary was later held in the Afikpo North Local Government Area, with Umahi clinching the party’s senatorial ticket after other contestants, including his brother stepped down for him.
In a suit filed by the governor asking the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to publish his name as the APC senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Justice Fatun Riman cited section 115 of the Electoral Act which forbids a person from standing two different primary elections in the same year.
The judge declared that the authentic candidate Ann Agom-Eze.
According to the above 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.
