Ebonyi: PDP Allege Plots By Umahi To Relocate Election Petition Tribunal

From Mba Nnenna – Abakaliki

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State chapter, have alleged sinister plots by Ebonyi State Governor, Engr David Umahi, to influence the relocation of the Ebonyi State election petitions tribunal currently sitting in Abuja, back to Abakaliki.

In a statement issued Thursday in Abakaliki, the PDP alleged that Governor Umahi had been boasting that he had lobbied powerful judicial officers in Abuja to ensure that the Ebonyi State Elections Petitions Tribunal is relocated back to Abakaliki.

According to the party(PDP), on I3th May, 2023 at a burial ceremony held in Amangwu Edda LGA of the state, Umahi was quoted to have allegedly said “nothing on earth can stop the Election Petition Tribunal from being relocated back to Ebonyi state.”

But the party have, however, urged the election petitions authorities, especially the President of the Court of Appeal, Honourable Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen to ignore Governor Umahi’s antics in the interest of peace, justice, fairness and equity.

“Based on this development, the PDP in Ebonyi State hereby wishes to alert the Election Petition Authorities, especially the President of the Court of Appeal on the need to ignore Gov. Umahi’s antics. We urge the Judicial Authorities to remain steadfast and sustain the Relocation of the Tribunal from Abakaliki to Abuja.

“We are convinced as an interested party that the sustenance of the Tribunal at Abuja would guarantee justice, Peace, equity and fairness. We are equally convinced that the decision to relocate the Tribunal to Abuja was a welcome decision as it provides a level-playing ground for all the parties involved in the cases before the Tribunal”, the party noted.

The party further alleged that Ebonyi State Government is notorious for masterminding violence and terror-related acts, insisting that allowing the elections petitions tribunal to be relocated back to Abakaliki as allegedly boasted by Governor Umahi would open a new window of opportunity for the reign of impunity and terror, adding that such an ugly scenerio should not be allowed to play up in the State.

“The Ebonyi State Government is notorious for being a mastermind of violence and terror-related acts. For instance, the State Chairman of APC, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha is also the Security Consultant of Ebubeagu Militia and at the same time doubles as the Chief Security Consultant to the State Government. All efforts made by forward-looking citizens of the State to get Gov. Umahi to see reason as to why he should seperate the office of the State Chairman of APC from the Ebubeagu Consultant/Security Consultant conundrum fell on deaf ears because of the role which the APC boss plays in the state as the mobilizer and deployer of militant youths and other harbingers of terrorism in the state.

Reacting to the allegation, Governor David Umahi through his Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Mr Chooks Oko, described the allegation as unfortunate, noting that the Governor could not have said that, either privately or publicly, to anyone as such an action was not in his character

“It is unfortunate that this dying party would clutch at anything to make noise.Governor Umahi could not have said that either privately or publicly to anyone as such an action is not in his character.

As a firm believer in democracy and fair play, and a committed child of God, he will never be involved in any sinister dealing moreso where the temple of justice is involved. This is surely the cry of a drowning man looking for excuses,” Mr Oko said.

Recall that on Wednesday, April, 26, 2023,the Secretary of Ebonyi State election petitions tribunal, Mr Nyior Henry Sekulla, announced the directive of the Appeal Court President for the relocation of the Tribunal to Abuja, a development that has generated mixed reactions from political actors in the State.