Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu on Friday maintained that he remains the governor of the state despite a recent court ruling that sacked him from office.
Justice Okon Abang had on Monday, in a ruling, sacked Ikpeazu as governor of Abia State and he was to immediately vacate office over tax evasion.
The judge ordered that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial aspirant who came second during the party’s 2014 primary election, Uche Ogah be issued with certificate of return by the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC.
The development caused tension in the state on Thursday, following an alleged attempt by Ogah to get Theresa Uzokwe, the state chief judge, to swear him in as the governor.
Speaking to reporters on the saga in Umuahia, the state capital, the embattled governor maintained that the illegality would not stand, saying that there was an injunction restraining Ogah from being sworn in.
“I am still the governor of Abia, so, I appeal to our people to remain calm until the final verdict of the supreme Court.
“This illegality will not stand. I will test the judgment in the appeal court up to the supreme court.
“Even if it was a death sentence, I don’t think that I will be executed without right of appeal. That right is fundamental, that right is undeniable and a denial of that right is a denial of my fundamental right.
“What is on trial in Abia is democracy and not me as a person, “he said. “The tenets of democracy emphasise that the will of the people is sacrosanct.”
On the issue of tax evasion, Ikpeazu explained that as a government employee, his tax was paid to Abia board of internal revenue.
He pointed out that the board had come out with an affidavit to prove that the tax receipts he tendered were issued by it and was ready to defend the documents.
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