Human rights activist and Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, called on the Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, to step down, following his sack by a Federal High Court in Abuja two weeks ago.

Keyamo, in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, said it would have been permissible for Dr. Ikpeazu to continue in office as governor, if Dr. Sampson Ogah had not been issued a Certificate of Return instantly by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

He contended that having been issued a Certificate of Return, it was constitutionally abnormal and legally paradoxical that a person with a validly issued Certificate of Return should not occupy that office immediately, while the person with an invalidated Certificate of Return continued to occupy the office.

He said: ‘’That is why the Interim Order restraining the Chief Judge of Abia State or any other Judicial Officer from swearing in Dr. Sampson Uchechukwu Ogah is a non-sequitor as the judgment of Abang J has already been complied with by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

‘’The scenario we have now is that of a person, without any document entitling him to that office, occupying the office of governor of Abia State, whilst a person who has both a valid court judgment and a valid Certificate of Return is unable to assume office as governor of the state.”