The Court of Appeal Enugu Division on Friday dismissed a suit seeking the sack of the governor of Ebonyi State, David Nweze Umahi, and his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe for defection.
Umahi and his deputy last November defected to the All Progressives Congress, from the People’s Democratic Party, on whose ticket both were elected into office in 2019.
The suit asking for their sack from office was filed by the candidate of the APC in the 2019 Governorship election, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji and his running mate, Justin Ogbodo Mbam.
Both had approached the approached an Ebonyi High Court seeking the sack of the Governor and his Deputy
They asked the Court to declare the seats of Umahi and Igwe vacant on following their defection from the PDP to the APC.
They had also asked the Court to order that they be sworn-in immediately as Governor and Deputy, since they came second in the election in 2019.
However, the High Court in its ruling on February 28 dismissed the case and also awarded N500, 000 as damages against Ogbuoji and Mbam.
But the duo was not deterred, as they proceeded to the Appeal Court in their quest for justice.
In a unanimous ruling on Friday, the Court of Appeal sustained the ruling of the High Court. In the ruling read by Justice Alfa Belgore, the Court dismissed the suit for being inconsistent with the Constitution and extant laws of the country.
