Imo gov’ship: Emeka Ihedioha has no valid case – Oshiomhole, Uzodinma

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Imo, Emeka Ihedioha, whose earlier victory was upturned by the Supreme Court, has no genuine case to further pursue in court.

Oshiomhole said this on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while fielding questions from journalists shortly after presenting Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State to President Muhammadu Buhari.

He spoke while reacting to a question that sought to know whether Governor Uzodinma was concerned over the decision of Ihedioha to seek a review of the Supreme Court judgement in view of the notion that his votes outnumbered the number of real voters.

He said the returning officer could not show that Ihedioha had the constitutional requirement of at least one quarter of the total votes cast in at least two-third of local government areas (LGAs).

He said Ihedioha ought not to have been declared because he had those numbers only in nine LGAs when two-third of 27 LGAs is 15.

Oshiomhole, who said the views being expressed on the judgement emanated from “electronic media lawyers”, wondered why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its “senile” returning officer who declared the results were not being questioned.

He said, “INEC completely and irresponsibly misbehaved by using a professor who seems to be so senile that he didn’t know that nine is not 2/3. This is very serious. And because they take advantage of the fact that once they make pronouncements, even if the pronouncement is made by a lunatic in INEC, you can’t reverse it. You have to go to court. And it fits into PDP’s fixation, rig and let them go to court. They just feel that it is their birthright to continue to rig elections.

“The next time you see them talking, ask them how many local government did PDP score one quarter of the vote in the total vote cast in how many local government? That is not in the provision of the Electoral Act. That is in the expressive provision of the Nigerian Constitution.

“For me, it shows that nobody is interrogating INEC and that is why they are getting away with blue murder. And this is minus the fact that INEC has not explained why they did not collate votes that were certified and signed by the presiding officers, appointed by INEC in each of the 388 polling units. If there is something wrong with those votes, INEC is on record to having had course to cancelled unit votes where they are dissatisfied. Those votes were not cancelled. They just chose to ignore them.”