GOVERNOR David Umahi of Ebonyi State has emerged winner of a fresh All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Ebonyi South Senatorial District.
Umahi clinched 250 votes to emerge winner of the election held at Afikpo North Local Government Headquarters.
The Chairman of the Electoral Panel for the election, Emmanuel Adebayo, a professor, said a total of 275 votes was cast, out of which 268 votes were valid while 7 were invalid.
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He said, “Austin Chukwu Umahi scored 10 votes; Ann Agom Eze 0; David Umahi scored 250 votes; Ibiam Margret 3 votes; Mrs. Chukwu Elizabeth Nwakeago 5 votes.”
Umahi, in his acceptance speech, said, “This ticket is a very strong ticket. I thank all of you for your solidarity. I accept this honour done to me by God. I have fought battles all my life and I have won all of them.”
This development is coming days after the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki declared Ann Agom-Eze as the APC senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South Zone in the 2023 polls.
The court also ordered fresh primary election within 14 days, which was why the party conducted another election after the initial one that Umahi’s brother won before he withdrew.
Reacting to the development, Agom-Eze said she stayed off from the ordered fresh primaries because there was an appeal for stay of execution on the matter.
She said, “Waking up this morning, I was going through my messages and I stumbled where someone was talking about primaries at Afikpo.
“I am not going to be part of it because the authentic Ebonyi South Senatorial primaries happened on the 28/5/2022 and it is still subsisting.
“This is because the judgment delivered at the Federal High court Abakaliki on the 22/7/2022 was not totally in our favour and we had to appeal the part of the judgment that allowed for fresh primaries to accommodate strangers to the process since 26/07/2022. We also filed a motion for stay of execution and injunction pending appeal.”
She added, “All the relevant bodies were served; INEC, our party, APC and the 1st plaintiff since 27/07/2022 and 28/07/2022. Until the determination of the appeal, I believe there should be no other primary as the matter is sub-judiced and the rule is that all the parties must stay action on the matter. We also wrote letters to INEC and our great party urging them to observe the rules of les pendis.
“I’m looking forward to the judgment of the Court of Appeal as a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I am confident that the court will do justice.”
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi APC chairman, Stanley Okoro-Emegha while reacting to the development, claimed that Ann Agom Eze was not a member of the APC .
“Ann cannot win a councillorship position in her ward. She would have been here to test her popularity. She is not a member of the APC. She has not paid her dues. Her name cannot be found in a register in APC.
“It’s unfortunate that she is being sponsored by members of the opposition in the state,” he said.
