2023: Top APC presidential aspirant withdraws from race

<p><strong>2023&colon; Top APC presidential aspirant withdraws from race<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Governor <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;Openlife&period;ng">David Umahi<&sol;a> of <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;Openlife&period;ng">Ebonyi state<&sol;a> has withdrawn from the 2023 presidential race&period;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He has declared his intention to contest the Ebonyi South senatorial seat&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr Umahi&comma; whose eight-year tenure as governor ends in 2023&comma; was initially nursing a presidential ambition in January and had vowed to continue the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari if elected&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It is unclear the factors that informed the governor’s decision to abandon his presidential ambition&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The governor has been embroiled in a legal brawl with the Peoples Democratic Party &lpar;PDP&rpar; following his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress &lpar;APC&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h1><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;fg-declares-2-day-public-holiday-in-nigeria-see-dates&sol;"><span style&equals;"color&colon; &num;ff0000&semi;">FG Declares Public Holidays<&sol;span><&sol;a><&sol;h1>&NewLine;<p>Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court on March 8&comma; sacked Mr Umahi and his deputy&comma; Kelechi Igwe&comma; from the Ebonyi governorship seat&comma; after the PDP successfully argued that votes in Nigerian elections belonged to political parties and not candidates&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>However&comma; an appeal court in Enugu upheld Mr Umahi’s position as governor&comma; stating that his defection was constitutional&comma; albeit immoral&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;