‘It’s executive rascality’ — NBA hits Umahi over comment on court order sacking him

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has tackled David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, for “denigrating” the judiciary after he was sacked from office by a federal high court in Abuja.

On Tuesday, Inyang Ekwo, the judge, held that the 393,042 votes polled by Umahi in the March 2019 governorship election belonged to the PDP and cannot be legally transferred to the APC.

Responding to the verdict, Umahi said nobody could remove him from office and described the judge as a “hatchet man”.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Olumide Apata, NBA president, said the governor’s comment “is impunity of the highest order and executive rascality taken too far”.

“While the NBA has absolutely no interest in the outcome of the case in question and will continue to stay away from partisan politics, it is inconceivable that this association that is charged with upholding the rule of law and defending the Judiciary would sit idly by in the face of this unprovoked and totally unwarranted attack on the judiciary,” he said.

“Indeed, the leadership of the NBA has been inundated with calls from a cross-section of well meaning Nigerians who are understandably outraged by the utterances of Engr. Dave Umahi and who have rightly demanded that appropriate action be taken to protect the sanctity of the judiciary.

“In the wake of the judgment, one would have expected Engr. Umahi to sue for calm from his supporters and to assure them that all legal and constitutional avenues would be explored to challenge the Judgment. For H.E. Engr. Umahi to instead resort to attacking and denigrating the high office of a judge in this unprecedented manner is disgraceful, undemocratic and completely unacceptable.

“In light of the foregoing, the NBA hereby demands an immediate apology from H.E. Engr. Dave Umahi and a retraction of the comments he made against the person and Judgment of the Hon. Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court.”

Apata said Umahi’s apology and retraction should be given as much media coverage as his “unfortunate comments”.