We are still studying court judgment on Ebonyi, says INEC

A week after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, asked the Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi and his deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, to vacate their offices for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) on Thursday night said it was still studying the judgment.

Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in a statement said INEC would sit again on the court pronouncement next week and make its decision public.

Okoye said INEC had been overwhelmed by volumes of court processes connected to the judgement of Justice Ekwo.

“The commission today listed this matter for deliberation. It involves court cases on the defection of the governor and deputy-governor of Ebonyi State and 16 members of the House of Assembly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The commission has been served with nine separate orders and motions from various courts on this matter. Just as the commission was about to commence deliberation on them, its attention was drawn to additional court processes served today in respect of the matter.

“Consequently, the commission decided to defer its deliberation on the Ebonyi cases and stepped down the listed memorandum to enable its legal services and clearance committee to study the new processes in the light of the previously served ones and advise the commission comprehensively.

“The commission will meet again next week to deliberate on the matter and thereafter make its decision public.”

In the judgment in which 16 lawmakers were equally axed, Justice Ekwo said the move from the PDP to the APC was illegal and unconstitutional.

The PDP which instituted the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/ 920/21 and FHC/ABJ/CS/ 1041/21, sought the removal of the governor and his deputy from office for abandoning the party.