The Court of Appeal in Abuja, today rejected Princess Ann Agom-Eze’s suit and approved Governor David Umahi’s candidacy for the Senate.
Following a primary election on July 30, 2022, Princess Agom-Eze, a senior member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in power in Ebonyi State, disputed Governor Umahi’s selection as the candidate for the Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone.
Agom-Eze had been recognized as the senatorial candidate for the Zone by a Federal High Court in Abakaliki in August, but the Court of Appeal’s ruling today invalidated the High Court’s judgment as well as all of its orders.
The Appellate Court further ruled that the nomination of Governor Umahi as the APC senatorial candidate was never contested by anyone within the allotted 14-day period as required by section 285 subsection (9) of the 1999 Constitution, meaning that the High Court erred in upholding Ann’s Counter-affidavit and failing to uphold the primary election of June 9, 2022.
The court in Abuja then went on to give each and every relief that Governor Umahi and the APC had requested in the trial court.
