I have no regret joining the APC – Umahi

The Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, said on Wednesday he had no regret joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor stated this while addressing the party supporters during a solidarity rally held at the Udensi Water Fountain Roundabout in Abakaliki, the state capital.

He appealed for calm and assured the party supporters that the judgement sacking him as governor would not stand.

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday ordered the removal of the governor and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, for defecting to the APC in November 2020.

He also sacked 16 members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly for joining the duo in the ruling party.

The governor said: “I have no regrets leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The judgement sacking me as your governor will not stand at appeal and I remain the governor as I’m still working.

“I said the lawyers of PDP are the ones doing forum shopping and I’m going to report the lawyers to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to discipline them because the judge was misled.

READ ALSO: Umahi withdraws remarks about judge, accuses PDP of ‘judgement shopping’

“The blame is not on the judge. The blame is on the PDP lawyers who misled the judge.

“And I’m using the opportunity to appeal for calm and to let Nigerians know that nobody castigated the judge and we will not.

“Today, we have appealed the judgement. We have done three things; we have done the appeal at Enugu, and when I say that, we have two judgements, I say that the judgement in Ebonyi, which has equal powers with that of Abuja.

“We said that we will obey the judgement in Ebonyi; we will appeal the judgement of Abuja.

“We didn’t say we will disobey, otherwise we would have not appeal, we are before the Appeal Court in Enugu State and that of Abuja.

“We have also filed a stay of execution. So, we are still the governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi.”

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