Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Mrs Ann Agom-Eze, an Ebonyi South Senatorial District aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied allegations that she accepted a Toyota Prado Jeep, house, cash and landed property to step down for Governor David Umahi.
She described the allegations as baseless, unfounded and diversionary.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, had on Friday ordered for a rerun primaries for Ebonyi South Zone with Mr Agom-Eze included in the list of contestants.
The judgement followed a suit by Governor Umahi through his counsel, Roy Nweze Umahi, who had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Federal High Court in Abakaliki.
The governor in the suit urged the court to order the commission to recognise him as the authentic senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South senatorial district.
Prior to the ruling, which was delivered by Justice Fatun Riman, on Friday, rumours had made the rounds that Princess Agom-Eze accepted over N40million, a jeep, a house and a land at the Ochudo Centenary City Abakaliki, to withdraw from the race.
The State Government, in a statement by Umahi’s Special Assistant on Strategy, Chooks Okoh, equally accused Agom-Eze of submitting falsified documents to INEC.
But reacting to the allegation, on Sunday, in Abakaliki, Princess Agom-Eze said the accusation was not only baseless and unfounded, but a diversionary move to deceive the constituents.
According to her, “The rumor making the rounds that I collected various amount of money, with a Prado, a house in Ochoudo is all fabrication. I never asked and I never received such from anyone.
“This is baseless, unfounded and diversionary. This latest move is intended to confuse Ebonyi people in order to shift their focus off the reality of the epoch. But I’m happy Ebonyi people are wiser now than before and they won’t allow anybody to deceive them again.
“They have been flying all manner of documents and trying to deceive the electorate over what the realities on the grounds are currently.
“You people should not take them seriously as usual. They are aware of what the Court said on Friday and what do you expect from them? They must fight back.
“But they should be reminded that despite their tantrums, constituents of Ebonyi South zone yearn for change and they have repeatedly said I’m that change they need at this time.
“I want to serve my people and give them the best of representation. That’s my focus. I don’t want to be distracted now by their whims and caprices.”, she said.
Background
Mrs Agom-Eze had in the run-up to the primaries raised alarm of threats to her life by unknown persons due to her refusal to step down for the governor’s younger brother, Austin Umahi, who she contested the Senate ticket with.
She would later stand for the election which she lost to the younger Umahi in May.
But weeks later, the party announced the withdrawal of Mr Austin Umahi and conducted another primary during which the governor was allegedly elected unopposed.
However, when INEC published the list of candidates for the National Assembly elections, it left out the governor’s name and did not name any candidate for Ebonyi South Senate position for APC.
The governor, therefore, in a bid to reclaim the ticket headed to the High Court.
But Mrs Agom-Eze filled an application seeking to be joined in the suit arguing that she should have been part of the said second primaries as she never stepped down
The court in it’s ruling agreed that INEC was right not to have submitted Mr Umahi’s name.
Justice Fatun Riman also said the APC erred in omitting the name of Mrs Agom-Eze from the list of candidates for the second primary.
The court, therefore, ordered for another election within 14 days.
