Umahi’s Victory: Sen. Nnachi Heads to Appeal Court, Says Tibunal Judgmement ‘Unjust,’ a ‘Spat on the Constitution’
Senator Michael Amah Nnachi, the Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Ebonyi South has said that the judgement of the Ebonyi State national and state assembly election petition tribunal that affirmed the declaration of former governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the elected senator for Ebonyi South Senatorial District was “unjust” and therefore cannot stand.
Senator Nnachi in a statement he personally issued on Wednesday in Abuja maintained that “the three-man panel miscarried justice and spat on the face of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended in their ruling which did not in any way conform to any known law in Nigeria.”
Nnachi who represented Ebonyi South in the 9th Senate stated that he has “decided to appeal the ruling of the tribunal in the interest of the good people of Ebonyi South Senatorial District whose mandate the tribunal has decided to highjack.”
The tribunal which is currently sitting at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abuja had last Friday dismissed the petitions filed by Sen. Nnachi, Hon. Linus Okorie of the Labour Party (LP) and Sir Ifeanyi Eleje of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Dismissing the petitions, the tribunal headed by Justice M. O. Omovie ruled that the petitioners failed to prove the allegations against the declaration of Umahi.
Bellow is Sen. Nnachi’s full statement:
PRESS STATEMENT
September 13, 2023
I totally reject the Unjust, Unconstitutional and Unwarranted Judgement Upholding Chief David Umahi as Ebonyi South Senator
Haven read through the judgement of the Ebonyi State National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal which upheld the declaration of Chief David Umahi as validly elected senator for Ebonyi South Senatorial District by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I hereby categorically reject the judgement.
It is to be noted that the three-man panel miscarried justice and spat on the face of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended in their ruling which did not in any way conform to any known law in Nigeria.
The decision of the Tribunal which totally and deliberately ignored the facts put before it by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), our lawyers and INEC and rather chose to manufacture legal technicalities to support their unjust ruling can definitely not stand!
Our constitution and relevant electoral laws are clear on issues of corruption, electoral malpractice and forgery, especially in reference to elections. It is even more disturbing that the tribunal even ignored facts and testimonies provided by INEC and went ahead to uphold Chief Umahi’s declaration even when it was proven beyond all doubts that he didn’t win the election.
Consequently, we have decided to appeal the ruling of the tribunal in the interest of the good people of Ebonyi South Senatorial District whose mandate the tribunal has decided to highjack.
We believe that for Nigeria’s democracy to be sustained and the rule of law enshrined in our body politic, the constitution must be adhered to irrespective of who comes to judgement.
We call on our teeming supporters and the PDP family in Ebonyi South and Ebonyi State as a whole to remain calm as we are resolute in the pursuit and reclamation of all our stolen mandates.
Thank You and God bless us all.
Sen. Michael Amah Nnachi
PDP, Senate Candidate for Ebonyi South
Senator Michael Amah Nnachi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Ebonyi South Senatorial District election in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly election has rejected the judgement of the Ebonyi State National and State Assembly election petition tribunal