The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said, it would deliberate and make public its decision on the Ebonyi Court Judgment next week.
This was after its meeting yesterday, Thursday, March 17, 2022, where it deliberated on a wide range of issues, including the rising tide of litigations that do not directly involve the Commission, but in which the principal parties joined it.
TheFact Daily had reported that a federal high court sitting in Abuja, Tuesday last week sacked Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi , his deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe, and 17 members of the state house of assembly for defecting from People’s Democratic Party( PDP) to the All Progressive Congress ( APC).
The court, in its judgement delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that the legislators could not transfer the mandate they received from the ballot to another political party after abandoning the political party that had sponsored them.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq in a statement confirmed that the Commission has been served with nine separate Orders and Motions from various Courts on the matter.
The noted that “just as the Commission was about to commence deliberation on them, its attention was drawn to additional Court processes served today in respect of the matter.
“Consequently, the Commission decided to defer its deliberation on the Ebonyi cases and 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”, it said.
