David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, says the court ruling directing his removal from office is “null and void”.
On Tuesday, a federal high court sitting in Abuja ordered the removal of Umahi and his deputy, Eric Igwe, over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Describing the judgement as a “sham”, Umahi accused Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, of doing a “hatchet job”.
“Nobody can remove me as the governor of the state as we know where the judgement came from,” NAN quoted him as saying.
“Justice Ekwo has more than 10 cases against the state government and we will see where this leads him.
“We have petitioned Ekwo before the National Judicial Council (NJC) as his continued stay on the bench is a disaster for the country. People should not panic as I, the governor, am not distracted at all.
“The constitution stipulates that the only way a governor can be removed from office is through death, resignation or impeachment by the state house of assembly.
“There is no constitutional provision that empowers a hatchet man to turn the constitution or law of the land on its head.
“The supreme court’s recent judgement on Zamfara, among others, attests to this fact as I remain the governor of the state.”
