Ebonyi State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has berated the Minister of Works and former governor of the state, David Umahi over the claim that he has the right to produce the next senator of Ebonyi South Senatorial District, taking up a ministerial appointment for his senatorial seat.
The PDP in a statement issued by its State Chairman, Mr. Nwazunku Augustine, said it is anti-democratic for Umahi, to insist on being the one to produce the senator to represent the zone, without due consultation.
According to Nwazunku, the election that brought Umahi to the Senate was controversial, so he shouldn’t claim the right to produce a successor, noting that he unilaterally abandoned the senatorial seat without consultation with his constituents.
“It is extremely preposterous for him to come back now to offer such a ludicrous and anti-democratic assertion that he should be allowed to choose his successor in the Senate,” he said.
The PDP Chairman however, urged the former governor to know that the judgement of the tribunal on the petitions brought against him by his opponents, Senator Mike Nnachi of the PDP and Linus Okorie of the Labour Party, that was ruled in his favour was not the final judgement.
He stated further that Nnachi and Okorie have declared their intention to appeal the judgement, adding that “It is only when the legal matters are concluded that the issue of re-run elections or bye-elections would be thrown up, depending on the outcome of the legal matter.”
“For Umahi to have jumped the gun by piling up pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to commence preparations for fresh elections in Ebonyi South Senatorial District is a clear case of impunity and arrogant/reckless abuse of power, which further benchmarks Umahi’s usual acts of impudence and lawlessness.
“It is the sovereign right of the people of Ebonyi South Senatorial District to choose those who will represent them at the National Assembly. In the specific case of the current Ebonyi South Senatorial District, Umahi has no powers whatsoever to muscle his way through as he used to do when he was the sitting Governor of Ebonyi State,” he added.
