Court Stops Umahi’s Senatorial Ambition, Okays Agom-Eze

Governor Dave Umahi’s desire to be recognised as the Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ebonyi South in next year’s election suffered a major setback yesterday, as a Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, ordered that Princess Ann Agom-Eze be recognised as the party’s Senatorial candidate.

The younger brother of the governor, Mr. Austin Umahi had contested and won the first senatorial primary election APC conducted where Princess Ann Agom-Eze emerged second.

However, when Governor Umahi returned from contesting the presidential primary of the party in Abuja, a second Senatorial primary was scheduled on June 9, 2022, during which the governor emerged unopposed as the younger Umahi had withdrawn his candidacy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), refused to recognise the second primary and so Umahi, represented by his lawyer, Roy Nweze Umahi, sued INEC at the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, to compel them to recognise the governor as the senatorial candidate.

However, Princess Agom-Eze also approached the court and argued that she should be recognised as the senatorial candidate as the runner-up in the primary approved by INEC since Austin Umahi who won that election had withdrawn his candidacy. 

Delivering his judgement, Justice Fatun Riman, drew attention to Section 115 of the Electoral Act 2022, stating, “the governor was not an aspirant and cannot participate in the election or pre-election matters of the All Progressives Congress as regards the Ebonyi South zone, whose primary held on the 28th day of May, 2022.”

Section 115 of the Electoral Act 2022 states that “the governor neither procured forms for nor participated in the election and cannot claim any right based on the primary election.”