Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has said that he voluntarily withdrew the application for stay of execution from the Federal High Court Abuja, as against the news making the rounds that the case was struck out giving an impression that he had lost out.
Umahi said he took the decision because he had already appealed the judgment, which sacked him and his deputy from office.
According to him, what the Federal High Court did was to strike out the application for stay of execution.
In a statement today, March 21 by Umahi’s spokesman, Francis Nwaze, the governor said that he and his deputy voluntarily withdrew the application for stay of execution, since the matter had been entered at the court of appeal and records of proceedings also transmitted to the appellate court.
The statement called on the public to disregard wrong interpretations and insinuations from some “mischievous” quarters about the proceedings of the Federal High Court on Monday which struck out the application for stay of execution filed by Umahi and his deputy.
The statement reads in part: “Governor Umahi and his deputy, Barr. Igwe, having appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court of March 8, 2022, on their defection to All Progressives Congress through their team of lawyers led by Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, SAN did inform the court for a withdrawal of their earlier application for stay of execution.
“The above was because an appeal has been entered at the court of appeal and records of proceedings have been transmitted to the appellate court.
“On the notice above, Emmanuel Ukala, PDP counsel, did not oppose the application.
“Consequently, Ekwo struck out the application following confirmation that a valid appeal had been entered at the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, challenging the verdict on them and at this point, the Federal High Court, from which the appeals emanated, ceased to have jurisdiction to entertain any matter on those cases.
“Let me equally confirm that a valid application for stay of execution has been made at the Court of Appeal which now has jurisdiction over the case and we urge the good people of Ebonyi State and supporters of our Presidential Hopeful and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi to remain calm, avoid being distracted as we are on a divine mandate and the court remains the final hope of a common man just as we are optimistic that we shall get victory in the end.”
