On Friday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned a March 8 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja that sacked Ebonyi Governor David Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A three-member panel of the appellate court ruled on Friday that the nation’s Constitution did not provide any punishment for a Governor or Deputy Governor who defected from the party on which he or she was elected.
The appellate court held in the lead judgment, written by Justice Haruna Tsanami, that the only option open to a political party aggrieved by the defection of a Governor or Deputy Governor is to pursue impeachment proceedings option provided in the Constitution.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja aligned with an earlier decision on the same issue given by the court’s Enugu division.
