By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has declared that he is still in the race to contest the Ebonyi South Senatorial District election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Umahi insisted that the Federal High Court in Abakaliki did not disqualify him from the race but instead ordered that a fresh primary election be conducted in the senatorial zone.
He disclosed this on Television interview on Monday.
According to him, the counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also confirmed the ruling of the court.
Umahi said, “The fact remains that I have not seen the court judgement, but I have asked those who went to court, and I have spoken to the INEC lawyer that was in court.
“The INEC lawyer said two things: that the court ordered a fresh election and that I was never disqualified. This is very important.
“The judge cancelling the election of June 9 may not be the fault of the judge; the judge made use of the evidence before him. Our lawyer went to court because INEC did not publish my name, as submitted by the party – APC.
“The lawyer went to court on my behalf within the 14 days the publication of INEC came out to compel INEC to do that and along the line, even the PDP from my senatorial zone joined the suit. The person who came second in the first senatorial primary election also joined the suit, my sister Ann Agom-Eze.”
Recall that Umahi was among several others who picked the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the APC sold at N100 million.
Among others who also picked the forms were the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.
Following the victory of former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu, in the APC primary, reports emerged that Umahi had purchased the APC nomination and expression of interest forms for the Ebonyi South senatorial election.
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