Umahi appeals court judgment sacking him

EMBATTLED Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which sacked him from office as governor and his deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe. 

Speaking with newsmen in Abakaliki on Wednesday, Umahi said he went to the appeal court because of the confidence he has in the judiciary. 

The governor said he had hired 18 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court and expressed optimism that he would get justice in the end. 

Umahi also noted that he had gone to court for a stay of execution on the judgment and called on his supporters not to take the laws into their own hands and avoid making comments against the judiciary over the judgment.

“I don’t want you to go against the law. What people thought is for evil has pro- moted your governor to the next level. I want to thank Nigerians. I want to thank Ebonyi people. 

“I am just here to say two things to you; one is to ask you to be very peaceful and two is to tell you that we have still confidence in the judiciary. 

“The Nigeria Bar Association chairman published something that I spoke to the press and said the judge is biased, but when we spoke this afternoon, we understood each other and I said the lawyers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were the ones that did the hatchet job. 

“I am going to write the NBA to request that the association should discipline them because they misled the judge. 

“In Bayelsa the governorship election, All Progressives Congress won the election but because there was a defect in the credentials of the running mate, the Supreme Court, in its wisdom, saw that the votes cast in any election belong to the candidates and not the party. Lawyers knew about this but they misled the judge,” Umahi said. 

Reacting, the NBA condemned the statement credited to Umahi, which described the judgment that sacked him from office as jungle justice. 

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The NBA president, Olumide Akpata, in a statement, described Umahi’s statement as unfortunate. 

Apata, in the statement, said, “We noted with utter dismay the unfortunate and totally unacceptable reaction of Umahi to the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered on 8th March 2022, Justice In- yang Ekwo, which inter-alia ordered him and Mr Kelechi Igwe to vacate the offices of governor and deputy governor, respectively. 

“Following the judgment, Umahi, in the course of a press conference threw caution to the wind and deployed very uncomplimentary adjectives and intemperate language in characterizing both the judgment and Justice Ekwo, including but not limited to describing the judgment as “jungle justice” and his lordship as “a hatchet man”. 

“To put it plainly, this is impunity of the highest order and executive rascality taken too far. While the NBA has absolutely no interest in the outcome of the case in question and will continue to stay away from partisan politics, it is inconceivable that this association that is charged with upholding the rule of law and defending the judiciary would sit idly in the face of this unprovoked and totally unwarranted attack on the judiciary.”