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Supreme Court’s ruling on Imo governorship election another ‘America wonder’ – Groups

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Two rights group on Thursday rejected the Supreme Court’s ruling which sacked the former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha and replaced him with Senator Hope Uzodinma.

One of the groups, the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, described the apex court’s decision as a “black rain falling in Imo State and palm kernel ripening at the tail of palm fronds.”

In a statement issued by its Chairman Board of Trustees, Emeka Umeagbalasi, the Intersociety said the Supreme Court’s deceitful and diversionary resort to “canceled votes in 388 polling units is a shame, illogical disgrace, and miscarriage of justice, adding that Nigeria judiciary would not recover from the sickbed the judgment has sent it.

“The apex court has again invented another judicial ‘America Wonder’ by declaring a candidate who came a distance fourth in an election as ‘duly elected governor’ even when he scored one-third of the validly cast votes scored by the highest votes scorer and about 13 percent of the total validly cast votes of 714,335.

“In other words, the Supreme Court crowned a new Imo Governor who abysmally scored one- third or 96, 458 of what the Supreme Court ousted governor who scored 273, 404 and about 13 percent of the total validly cast votes, which was 714, 335.

“With the latest Supreme Court ‘America Wonder’ it is most likely to be bye-bye to popular citizens’ participation in the country’s electoral process; with the full-fledged field day of electoral violence and bloodletting created for politicians.

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“The truth that must be told is that it is an act of impossibility for the said 388 polling units with total registered voters of about 194, 000 to record 100 percent voter turnout with 100 percent votes for Hope Uzodimma and zero votes to others.”

In the same vein, the second rights group, the Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE), described the Supreme Court judgment which declared Senator Uzodinma as the winner of the Imo State governorship election as robbery against the people of Imo State.

HURIDE, in a statement issued by its Board Chairman, Dede Uzor A Uzor, asked Nigerians to rise and defend democracy.

It also accused the Supreme Court of trying to kill democracy in Nigeria.

It said: “Following the verdict of Supreme Court, nullifying the declaration of Emeka Ihedioha as the Governor of Imo State, Nigerians have been urged to rise up and defend democracy in the country.

“HURIDE has asked the Imo people in particular and Nigerians, in general, to prepare for a massive protest against the judgment on Saturday, January 18, 2020, in Owerri, Imo State.

“We in HURIDE make bold and without apology say that judges have shown that they cannot be trusted by Nigerians as people working in the arm of the government that is regarded as the last hope of the common man”.

“Nigerians have lost hope in our judiciary. Nigerian judiciary is undergoing crucifixion and bastardization by those who supposed to defend it.

“HURIDE asked Nigerians to put on black cloth or band around their heads or arms to mourn and protest as from 18th January 2020, the destruction of democracy in Nigeria by the apex court judges themselves.

“That day is going to be a watershed in the history of Nigeria to mark the mourning of the attempt to kill democracy in the country through the instrumentality of the Supreme Court pronouncement on the Imo State governorship election.

“We also warned people who claim to be men of God to stay clear from politics and face their ecclesiastical callings instead of being agents of oligarchy because of pecuniary interest.”

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