Governor David Umahi has declared his intention to contest the Ebonyi South senatorial seat ahead of the 2023 general elections. 

Mr Umahi, whose eight-year tenure as governor ends in 2023, was initially nursing a presidential ambition and had vowed to continue the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari if elected.

It is unclear the factors that informed the governor’s decision to abandon his presidential ambition as his spokesperson, Francis Nwaeze, had yet to respond to Peoples Gazette’s inquiry at the time of filing this report.

The sudden drop from the presidential race with other party heavyweights like vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Tinubu, Rotimi Amaechi, has raised eyebrow among major stakeholders.

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.