By Chukwuemeka Opara

Abakaliki, April 1, 2022

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has said that his administration will conclude its tenure on May 29, 2023 irrespective of its challenges.

Umahi said this on Friday while reacting to the judgment of the Appeal Court sitting in Enugu which affirmed the judgment of the Ebonyi High court on his defection.

The Ebonyi High Court had quashed a suit challenging  the defection of the governor from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nov. 2020.

Umahi while presiding over the weekly state Executive Council meeting, congratulated the people of the state over the judgment and thanked various religious bodies for their prayers.

“The enemies have tried using the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the courts but failed.

“They are presently writing all forms of frivolous petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“We will however, defeat them any where they go and would finish strongly,” he said.

He declared that God brought his government to power and will never abandon it.

“The good thing is that people know that the challenges are mere storm in a tea cup and distractions.

“We will conduct a special praise and worship service on Sunday to thank God for His mercies on the government and the people.

“We will sing praises unto God because he has turned big in everything that concerns us,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suit challenging the governor’s defection was filed by the flagbearers of the APC in the 2019 general election, Sen. Sunny Ogbuoji and his running mate, Chief Justin Ogodo.

The plantiffs had prayed the court to order INEC to swear them-in as the governor and deputy governor of the state having placed second in the gubernatorial election.