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‘Ihedioha’s court case, desperate act to retain PDP members’

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IMO: 20 parties kick against Ihedioha, INEC

The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, says that the move by the PDP candidate, Emelka Ihedioha approaching the Election Petitions Tribunal seeking nullification of Okorocha’s victory, is only a desperate attempt to keep the remaining members of the PDP from defecting from the party.

Okorocha in a statement on Wednesday by his Special Senior Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, who said Ihedioha’s trip to the tribunal would end up in futility, also stated, that “We also have our firm belief that Ihedioha didn’t go to the tribunal on the grounds that Governor Okorocha did not win his election resoundingly and convincingly too, considering the spread he had and his enviable popularity among the Imo Populace, or that Governor Okorocha would not have even beaten him in his ward, Mbutu or in Mbaise ,where he comes from if ballot boxes were not snatched and figures falsified, but Hon. Ihedioha wants to use the tribunal matter to keep the hope of the remaining members of the PDP in the state alive and to prevent them from defecting to the APC as it is the case at the moment.”

It would be recalled, that Ihedioha, who is Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, proceeded to the governorship and legislative tribunal sitting in Owerri, to challenge the declaration of Okorocha, the APC candidate as the winner of the governorship election in the state.

In the suit with Number EPT/IM/GOV/3/2015, filed against Okorocha, the APC and 35 other respondents, Ihedioha insisted that the election was flawed by violence, intimidation, widespread malpractices and partisanship on the part of INEC.

Ihedioha, through his lead counsel, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), is praying the court to declare him winner of the election or alternatively, cancel the election and conduct a fresh governorship poll in Imo State.

He pointed out that the electoral process was fraught with substantial non-compliance particularly the extensive infringement of paragraph 28 of the guidelines for the 2015 election by declaring results on votes obtained without accreditation or in excess of accredited voters.

The PDP candidate alleged total breach of the principle of neutrality embedded in the Electoral Act as, “flagrantly” perpetrated by INEC staff and agents.

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