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The lingering contention as to who was suitablly qualified as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, for Ebonyi South Senatorial District of Ebonyi State, in the 2023 general election, has been laid to rest following the Federal High Court ruling on the matter in Abakaliki, Friday.

The candidate, Ann Agom-eze defeated Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State as the Court ruling favoured her against all odds.

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Recall that she came second in the APC senatorial primary election for Ebonyi South Zone, which was conducted in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, as Governor David Umahi’s younger brother, Austin Umahi came first.

Austin Umahi withdrew from the election and relinquished the ticket to Engr David Umahi even as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC frowned at the development and omitted Engr Umahi’s name from their published list of candidates for the 2023 general election.

It was gathered that INEC never monitored the rerun exercise, which purportedly announced Engr. Umahi as the candidate of APC for Ebonyi South Senatorial district, come 2023.

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Engr. David Umahi went to the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, through his counsel, Roy Nweze Umahi, to seek an order of court for INEC to publish his name as senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone even as Ann Agom-eze also applied to be joined in the suit.

Delivering the landmark judgment, Justice Fatun Riman cited section 115 of the Electoral Act, which forbids a person from standing two different primary elections in the same year.

He said in his judgment, that such a person, if found claiming to have participated in two primary elections risks a two year jail term.

He further affirmed that the authentic Senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone of the APC was Mrs Ann Agom-eze, since Mr. Austin Umahi withdrew from the race.

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According to him, if Engr. David Umahi files an appeal, he stands to gain two years jail bounty.

Reacting to the judgement, Ebonyi State Government, Friday, described the purported ruling by the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki as fake news.

Mr. Chooks Oko, the SA on Strategy to Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State explained that the Court only ordered a rerun election, where all the parties should participate.

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In a statement titled: “Ignore the fake News regarding Ebonyi South APC Senatorial seat”,  Oko added that “Ann Agom Eze and her PDP collaborators are ignorant of the wordings of section 115 of the electoral law they are quoting as the Governor was never a candidate in any two elections as they are oblivious of the difference between a candidate and an aspirant.”

According to him: “The attention of Ebonyi state Governor has been drawn to a mischievous fake news by one Mrs Ann Agom Eze, who contested the Ebonyi South APC senatorial primary election and got one vote, over the court judgement on Ebonyi South APC primaries.

“The judge was misled by Ann Agom Eze who lied on oath that she never withdrew from the contest.

She further connived with her friend who is a member of the APC Working committee to submit forged documents purported to be coming from APC national headquarters.

“With these false information and the misleading of the learned judge, the pronouncement of the court was that THERE SHOULD BE A RERUN ELECTION WITHIN FOURTEEN DAYS where all the parties should participate.

“The public is enjoined to ignore the fake news and await the date of the ordered primaries where Ann Agom Eze and her collaborators will face another shame.”

(Vanguard)