The Supreme Court of Nigeria said on Friday that Dave Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State, is the real candidate for the Ebonyi South Senatorial District for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
A five-person panel led by Justice Kudirat Ekekere-Ekun unanimously ruled against Princess Ann Agom-Eze’s appeal. Princess Ann Agom-Eze was a disappointed senatorial candidate.
The panel determined that the appeal had no merit and should be rejected.
In order to overturn the concurrent rulings of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld the outcome of the primary election that resulted in Governor Umahi, Agom-Eze filed a court petition.
The younger brother of Governor Umahi, Austin Umahi, won the first senatorial primary held by the APC on May 28. Mrs. Agomeze finished in second place.
However, it was said that Governor Umahi’s younger brother gave him the senatorial nomination after he failed to get the APC’s presidential nomination.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, said it wouldn’t accept his candidacy because it wasn’t happy with how the process was handled.
In response to a lawsuit filed by Mrs. Agom-Eze, a Federal High Court in Abakaliki ruled that Governor Umahi could not run for office and ordered that a new primary election be held within two weeks.
Due to the court ruling, the APC held a second primary election on July 31. Governor Umahi won.
Because she didn’t like how the party decided to hold a new primary election, the appellant went to court to get a restraining order.
After deciding that there was no reason to throw out the results of the second primary election, both the High Court and the Appellate Court threw out the case.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday also upheld the primary election and endorsed Governor Umahi’s candidacy.
