Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State
Ebonyi in Diaspora hail judgement sacking Umahi, deputy
[From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki]
Group, the Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has described last Tuesday’s court ruling which sacked David Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, as ‘a huge credit to the judiciary as the last hope of the common man and an indication that Nigeria’s democracy could actually be made better.’
A statement signed by its President, Paschal Oluchukwu and made available to Journalists, Thursday, commended the courage of Justice Inyang Ekwo of the federal high court, who delivered the judgement.
The Court ordered Umahi and his deputy to vacate their offices for defecting from the PDP to the APC.
“Even though Justice Ekwo’s Federal High Court is not the final arbiter in the matter as it is just a Court of first instance, his tenacious courage and boldness to make that declaratory verdict on Umahi and his decamped allies stands him out as a man of common character who panders only to facts and not emotional sentiments or intimidations,” the group said.
The group recalled its earlier dispositions in the media that “ingratitude, greed and extreme lust for power has seized the mental faculties of Umahi” when the Governor decided to abandon the PDP platform that gave him every opportunity he had always enjoyed- from Acting and later substantive Chairman of the PDP in the State to the position of a Deputy Governor in Elechi’s administration.
“Since November 17th 2020 when the quondam Governor, Umahi defected to the APC, his former Party, PDP just like discerning voices of opposition in the State has known no peace “and this platform has literarily been shouting to the rooftops that the Emperor has murdered democracy in Ebonyi and transmogrified into a full-blown dictator, worse than Idi Amin of Uganda. Events now unfolding in the Salt of the nation where Umahi reigns as a ‘heroic Lord’ over living and even non-living things is eventually vindicating this veritable platform.”
“For an Emperor Umahi, the chicken is indeed coming home to roost, noting that, “whereas, AESID would stay away from the legal facts and expertise views of the decision of the Federal High Court to sack him and his co-travelers which they have indicated they would appeal, we are thoroughly bashed about the furious reaction of the ousted Governor and his boasts during a Press conference that he is still in charge and nobody can remove him as Governor. Is Umahi now above the law? Is he still subject to the constitution of our land or he has grown far above it? How can an elected official make the kinds of derogatory remarks we watched Umahi make against the Nigerian Judiciary, particularly Justice Ekwo before the National Television as he did yesterday?”it said.
It reprimanded that “Perhaps, the nanny dictator thought he was dealing with one Facebook irritant using his subjective cybercrime and Ebubeagu laws in Ebonyi, but we are glad that notable legal luminaries including civil society groups and the Nigerian Bar Association have taken on the Emperor. At least the rest of Nigerians and the world who have never felt Umahi’s tyrannical disposition to the commonest of issues of both governance and development can now put themselves in the shoes of the average Ebonyian to understand the hell the common citizens ranging from students to workers, traders to artisans and even retirees have been through in the nearly seven years of former Governor Umahi’s reign.”
AESID further said: “The fact is that Umahi is dazed that a day like this could come when the truth about his greed, avarice and selfishness, including his desperate tendencies could be exposed for the entire world, (including those hitherto deceived by his cosmetic governance) to see, feel and understand his anti-democratic personae. Since his defection, Umahi has literally locked and frustrated any move made the PDP to have access to its Secretariat just like he has successfully enacted anti-human laws which he has been successfully his sacked puppets in the State’s House of Assembly to ‘legalize’, meant chiefly for the witch-hunting of opposition political voices.
The least of Umahi’s sins which this enviable body has been screaming and alerting the whole world on remains endless. But our greatest joy is that the State can at least heave some great sigh of relief over the oppressive tendencies and draconian tendencies of the over-grown Emperor as a result of this court verdict.”
It further said, “As a responsible Diaspora group which is deeply concerned about the image being portrayed to the world about our dear Ebonyi State, AESID totally CONDEMNS in strongest words, the anti-democratic vituperations of outgone Governor Umahi. We call on him to profusely apologize to the Judge and indeed, the Nigerian Judiciary within 24 hours even as we also commend Justice Ekwo for basing his decisions on the facts before him and not on fears, emotions or so termed judicial precedents.”
The group also asked Umahi to “sacrifice his ego, at least for once in peaceful compliance with the orders of a Court of competent jurisdiction by vacating his office, alongside his Deputy till a Court of a Higher Jurisdiction for the PDP who earned the legitimate votes in the March 9, 2019 election to legitimately take their seats back” , adding that it is aware that Umahi chose PDP as its platform in the first place because Ebonyi is traditionally a PDP State.
AESID also urged INEC to immediately issue execute the judgment once it is issued with a Certified True Copy, noting that, “nature, just like democracy, abhors vacuum.”
While urging Ebonyians to remain calm and law abiding, AESID also congratulated the PDP’s newly nominated Governor, Rt. Hon. Idume Igariwey and his Deputy, Elder Fred Udogu, urging them to take Ebonyi which has suffered poor leadership under Umahi to enviable heights.
