Supreme Court’s ruling on Imo election irreversible, Uzodinma tells PDP

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, said on Friday the Supreme Court would not reverse the ruling that declared him the winner of the March 19, 2019 governorship election in the state.

The apex court had on January 14 sacked Emeka Ihedioha as Imo State governor and declared Uzodinma as his replacement

The court said it arrived at the decision after adding votes scored by Uzodinma in 388 polling units, which showed that he won the race.

It subsequently declared him the winner of the election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give him a Certificate of Return as duly elected governor of Imo State.

However, the ex-governor has vowed to return to the Supreme Court in a bid to force the apex court to review judgement.

Uzodinma, who spoke with State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the matter was already “a concluded case.”

He said: “I am not disturbed by the PDP move to seek a review of the judgment. I am not concerned because I believe they are going back to the Supreme Court based on falsehood because the number of accredited votes outside the excluded votes is what they are talking about.

“But, if you are going to court, you must go to court to discuss or talk about the number of accredited votes including the excluded polling units. If you compute the number of accredited votes inclusive of the excluded voters, the figures are correct.

“We went to court with an issue of exclusion; we didn’t go to court complaining about election malpractices, violence and all of that. So, it is a peculiar case.

“My case can be likened to that of Jim Nwobodo vs Onoh and Omoboriowo vs Ajasin – It is the position of the Supreme Court that where an election has been announced at a polling unit, INEC is bound to collect the result and enter the results into the Form EC 8B.

“So, let INEC tell us what happened. I’m a lawmaker and I participated in the amendment of the Electoral Act. Election petitions are timed.

“As far as I’m concerned, the 60 days left for Supreme Court to look into that matter has expired. I’m not a lawyer but with my little knowledge of law-making, I understand what is in the Electoral Act.”

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, who also spoke to the correspondents, explained that they were in the Presidential Villa to introduce Uzodinma as the Governor of Imo State to the President.

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He said: “The Governor of Imo, Hope Uzodinma, is not a stranger to the President. He has been part of the APC family; he has played very decisive roles when it mattered in the affairs of the party.

“So, the purpose of today’s meeting is just to introduce him as the new executive governor of Imo.

“President Buhari is very excited that we have established our foothold in the heart of the South-East. And it coincides with the President’s vision of uniting the country.

“Now, we can truly say that we not only control the centre, we have governors in each of the six geo-political zones and I believe that is good for our party and for the government.’’

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