2023: Umahi, Agom-Eze fight dirty over Ebonyi South senatorial ticket

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi, and a daughter of an indigenous traditional ruler, Mrs Ann Agom-Eze have continued to fight dirty over the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ebonyi South senatorial ticket.

Umahi and Agom-Eze have since after APC primary election held on 28th May; 2022 been fighting, trading accusations, and laying claims on who becomes the authentic candidate of APC in the Ebonyi South senatorial zone.

Umahi had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, demanding INEC to recognize him (Umahi) as the authentic senatorial candidate of APC in Ebonyi South.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Fatun Riman, had ruled that a fresh APC primary election be conducted to allow new contestants to participate in the election.

But, Mrs. Agom-Eze had petitioned the Appeal Court sitting in Enugu State, to prevail on the judge, Justice Fatun Riman from granting an ex-parte order on a matter that is currently pending at the Court of Appeal.

The petition reads in part: “My attention has just been drawn to the attempts by Mr. Roy Umahi, elder brother to Governor Umahi, who also doubles as his lawyer, seeking to obtain an ex-parte order on a matter that is currently pending at the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division.

"Considering Governor Umahi’s desperation to arm-twist me and appropriate my senatorial ticket, I do not doubt his capacity to influence the Court and or browbeat the Judge into making an Order that will not only amount to an abuse of judicial process but also make a mockery of proceedings at the Court of Appeal.

“Justice Riman of the Federal High Court, Abakaliki should know that this matter has since left his court and he can no longer entertain subsequent proceedings or make any orders concerning this matter.

“I therefore make this passionate appeal to your Lordship, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to prevail on Justice Riman not to drag the judiciary through the mud.”

In a swift reaction, Umahi in a statement signed and issued to journalists in Abakaliki by his Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Mr. Chooks Oko denied knowledge of Mrs. Agom-Eze’s allegations.

The statement reads: “The attention of Ebonyi State Governor has once again been drawn to the bizarre antics of Mrs Ann Agom Eze in her quest to keep deceiving the public and gain unmerited sympathy in a bogus attempt to fly the APC flag as the candidate for Ebonyi South Senatorial zone.

“While the society was still grappling with her perjury tantrums to a revered court of law, she is again employing primitive tactics and resorting to crude self-help in a bid to clinch a mandate she has no claim to, anyhow.

“In a most provocative and highly contemptuous letter addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Mrs Agom Eze went hallucinating about an imaginary court procedure and how it will end raising disparaging insinuations against the governor in the process.

“The Governor would have ignored the letter and its puerile contents but for the fact that silence is thought to mean consent in our society”, he stated.