From Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, declared Governor David Umahi winner of the repeated Ebonyi South senatorial district primary.
The election was repeated in complete obedience to the ruling of a Federal High Court in Abakaliki, which cancelled the earliest primary and ordered for a fresh exercise.
The election took place at the headquarters of Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state, yesterday.
Chairman of the electoral panel, Emmanuel Adebayo, who announced the results after voting, said Governor Umahi polled 250 votes to defeat his immediate younger brother, Austine Umahi, who scored 10 votes.
According to the chairman, Ann Agom-Eze, who appealed the judgment of the Abakaliki Federal High Court, scored zero vote.
“Other contestants in the election are Ibiam Margret (three votes) and Elizabeth Nwakaego (five votes).
“That Governor Umahi having satisfied the requirements of law is here declared the winner,” he said.
Umahi, in his acceptance speech, described his victory as a strong one, saying it has sent shockers to his opponents, especially the candidate of Peoples Democratic party (PDP).
“This ticket is a very strong ticket for the 2023 elections. That is why other parties like PDP are jittery. I wholeheartedly accept this victory and promised to represent Ebonyi South well in the Senate from 2023,” he said.
While reacting, Agom-Eze said she did not participate in the election because of a pending appeal on the matter.
“Waking up this morning, I was going through my messages and I stumbled where someone was talking about primari at Afikpo. I am not going to be part of it because the authentic Ebonyi South senatorial primary happened on May 28, 2022 and it is still subsisting. This is because the judgment delivered at the Federal High Court, Abakaliki on July 22, 2022 was not totally in our favour and we had to appeal the part of the judgment that allowed for fresh primary to accommodate strangers to the process since July 26, 2022. We also filed a motion for stay of execution and injunction pending appeal.
“All the relevant bodies were served; INEC, our party, APC and the 1st plaintiff since July 27 and 28. 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 actions on the matter. We also wrote letters to INEC and our party, urging them to observe the rules of les pendis.
“I am looking forward to the judgment of the Court of Appeal as a law-abiding citizen and I am confident the court will do justice,” she said.