Justice Ekwo declared that having defected from the PDP, under which platform they came into power, the duo were deemed to have resigned from the office and, hence, no longer entitled to be called the governor and deputy governor.

The judge said it was constitutionally wrong for a candidate elected into an office on a platform of a political party to defect to another political while still in office.

He said the votes gotten by Umahi and Igwe on March 9, 2019, were PDP votes and not for the APC.

NAN reports that in reaction to the Court judgement, the PDP said it had submitted to INEC the names of Iduma Igariwey, a serving member of the House of Representatives, as a nominee to replace the Umahi, and Fred Udogwu as Deputy Governor to replace Igwe.