Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has dropped his presidential ambition and declared his intention to contest the Ebonyi South senatorial seat ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Umahi had initially nursing a presidential ambition and had vowed to continue the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari if elected.
Mr Umahi, whose eight-year tenure as governor ends in 2023, is now contesting the senatorial seat.
It is unclear the factors that informed the governor’s decision to abandon his presidential ambition.
The sudden drop from the presidential race with other party heavyweights like vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Tinubu, and Rotimi Amaechi, has raised eyebrows among major stakeholders.
Nigeria News: My father teaches us beating women is good – Osinachi’s son discloses
The governor has been embroiled in a legal brawl with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court on March 8, sacked Mr Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, from the Ebonyi governorship seat, after the PDP successfully argued that votes in Nigerian elections belonged to political parties and not candidates.
However, an appellate court in Enugu upheld Mr Umahi’s position as governor, stating that his defection was constitutional, albeit immoral.
