ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Finally, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has made the final list of candidates for the 2023 senatorial election in the State.
Others who also made the list include a former Governor of the state, Sam Egwu and a former member of the House of Representatives, Linus Okorie.
Earlier, Governor Umahi was omitted from the list of candidates released in June following the controversy that trailed his emergence as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the election.
Umahi contested for the Presidential primary of the party and lost to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, while his younger brother, Austin, won the Ebonyi South senatorial primary of the party in May.
However, after the primary, Austin Umahi stepped down for the Governor leading to a rerun primary, which he (Governor Umahi) contested unopposed.
But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), refused to list his name as the candidate and chose to leave the position vacant.
Umahi afterwards, dragged INEC to the Federal High Court, urging the court to compel the electoral umpire to accept his name as candidate of the party.
But, the runner-up to the first primary, Ann Agom-Eze joined the suit and urged the court to recognize her as the candidate of the party.
In his ruling, Justice Fatun Riman, however, ordered for another primary with Agom-Eze and any other interested fresh candidates allowed to take part.
Agom-Eze, not satisfied with the ruling, appealed the judgement at the Appeal Country in Enugu and filed for a stay of execution.
But the APC in Ebonyi obtained an order of the Federal High Court to go ahead with the primary which Mr Umahi won even as the matter at the appeal court is still on.
Senator Egwu, the first civilian Governor, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held two primaries in the State
Due to leadership tussle in the PDP, the first primary held on the 28th of May, was cancelled by the National Leadership of the party which ordered for a second one on the 4th of June.
Egwu, a two-term senator representing Ebonyi North senatorial district won the primaries but some aspirants reportedly took him to court.
On the other hand, Mr Linus Okorie, who was then still in the PDP, contested for Ebonyi south ticket of the PDP which ended in controversy as he was alleged to have won one of the primaries while the incumbent Senator, Michael Ama Nnachi reportedly won the second primary.
The two turned to the federal high court to determine the authentic candidate of the PDP, but Mr Okorie, later withdrew from the case and decamped to the Labour Party where he clinched the ticket in a rerun election last month.
This led to Okorie’s name being listed today as the candidate of the Labour Party and Senator Ama Nnachi as candidate of the PDP. They two will slug it out for Governor Umahi at the general election.