Umahi: Why We Can’t Act On Sack Verdict Yet – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained that the reason why the Commission was yet to act on the court judgment sacking the governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State including 16 members of the State House of Assembly, over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), was because of multiple court orders, motions and processes served on the electoral umpire.

The Commission said that it has been served with nine separate “Orders and Motions from various Courts on the matter.”

A statement made available to LEADERSHIP on Thursday in Abuja signed by the national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye, said INEC met on Thursday and listed the issue for discussion but just as the Commission was about to commence deliberation on nine separate orders and motions from various Courts on the matter, its attention was drawn to additional Court processes served on March 17, 2022 in respect of the matter.

Consequently, he said the Commission decided to defer its deliberation on the Ebonyi cases and consequently stepped down the listed Memorandum to enable its Legal Services and Clearance Committee to study the new processes in the light of the previously served ones and advise the Commission comprehensively.

“The Commission will meet again next week to deliberate on the matter and thereafter make its decision public,” he stated.