New Telegraph

Ebonyi South Senatorial Race: Umahi loses bid to make INEC’s list

…Commission lists 12 parties for guber race

A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, yesterday recognised Princess Ann Agom-Eze, as the Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ebonyi South Zone Senatorial District in next year’s general election. This was as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday published a total of 12 political parties that nominated candidates for the 2023 governorship race in the State.

Umahi through his Counsel, Roy Nweze Umahi, had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the court to compel the commission to recognise the governor as the authentic senatorial candidate for senatorial district. Princess Agom-Eze, who came second at the primaries, approached the court and urged it not to recognise Umahi as winner, saying that she won the election. Delivering judgement on the matter, Justice Fatun Riman, cited section 115 of the Electoral Act 2022, saying that 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. The is coming on the heels of a revelation by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, that politicians who procured multiple forms were criminals and risks two years imprisonment.

However, the Special Assistant to Governor Dave Umahi on Strategy, Chooks Oko has said that Justice Fatun Riman was misled in delivering a judgment on Ebonyi Senatorial APC primaries for 2023 general election in favour of Princess Ann Agom-Eze, who was declared as the candidate of the party. Oko, while reacting to the judgement, described the judgment as fake news and urged the public to disregard it. Meanwhile, the INEC on Friday published a total of 12 political parties that nominated candidates for the 2023 governorship race in Ebonyi State.

The Commission also published 16 political parties that would participate in the race for the 24 House of Assembly positions in the State. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Dr Chukwuemeka Joseph Chukwu, who disclosed this while briefing journalists in his office in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State Capital, said the list of candidates nominated by various political parties had been pasted at the INEC LGAs offices across the State, in line with section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, and schedule of activities of the Commission. He listed the names of the political parties that nominated governorship candidates in Ebonyi to include: AA, ADC, ADP, APC, APGA, APM, APP, LP, NNPP, NRM, PDP and YPP.

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