Gov. Dave Umahi, Friday, lost his controversial senatorial ticket of the All Progressive Congress, APC, for Ebonyi South, to a woman following a Federal High Court ruling sitting in Abakaliki.
The court declared Mrs Ann Agom-eze who came second in the earlier senatorial primaries won by Umahi’s younger brother, Austin Umahi.
Umahi’s brother had after the Governor lost his presidential bid, withdrawn from the race and relinquished the ticket to the Governor after a controversial return boycotted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The electoral umpire had also refused to enlist Umuahia as a candidate for the election even before the Friday’s judgement.
Umahi went to the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, through his counsel, Roy Nweze Umahi, to seek an order of court for INEC to publish his name as senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone.
But Mrs Agom-eze also applied to be joined in the suit.
Delivering the landmark judgment Friday, in favour of Agom-eze, Justice Fatun Riman cited section 115 of the Electoral Act, which forbids a person from standing two different primary elections in the same year.
He said in his judgment, that such a person, if found claiming to have participated in two primary elections risks a two year jail term.
He further affirmed that the authentic Senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South zone of the APC was Mrs Ann Agom-eze, since Mr. Austin Umahi withdrew from the race.
The court said that Gov. Umahi risked a two-year jail term if he appealed the judgement.