Eric Kelechi Igwe

Eric Kelechi Igwe is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as deputy governor of Ebonyi State from May 2015 to May 2023.

He was born in Ndufu Alike in Ikwo, Ebonyi State.

Controversy In March 2022, a legal dispute arose over Igwe and Governor Dave Umahi's 2020 defection from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). On 8 March 2022, the Federal High Court in Abuja, ruling on a suit brought by the PDP, ordered Umahi and Igwe to vacate their offices, holding that the votes secured under the PDP's platform in the 2019 election could not be transferred to another party. Umahi and Igwe appealed the ruling. On 28 October 2022, the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside the High Court's judgment, holding that there was no constitutional provision permitting the removal of a sitting governor or deputy governor for defection, and that the PDP's only recourse would have been impeachment through the state legislature. Both remained in office for the remainder of their term, which ended on 29 May 2023.

In a separate suit, the 2019 APC governorship runner-up, Senator Sunny Ogbuoji, had unsuccessfully sought a court order to install himself as governor in place of Umahi following the defection; that suit was dismissed by the Ebonyi State High Court and the dismissal was affirmed by the Court of Appeal on 1 April 2022.