A pro-democracy group, Concerned Nigerians, has called for a wholistic review of the judgement given by Nigerian apex court, the Supreme Court on the Imo governorship election.
The Supreme Court has fixed Tuesday, February 18 for hearing in the fresh application by erstwhile governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha challenging the judgement earlier delivered on January 14.
The group in a statement issued in Abuja by its convener, Comrade Deji Adeyanju berated the apex court for putting itself in a position where citizens would have to question its judgement, making the revered institution to been seen by Nigerians as fallible.
Recall that the Supreme Court had sacked Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State and declared Senator Hope Uzodinma winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in the state.
A seven-member panel of Justices presided by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad held that Ihedioha was not validly elected as governor by majority of lawful votes cast in the election.
INEC had declared Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the election with 273,404 votes, ahead of Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) with 190,364, and Ifeanyi Araraume of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with 114,676 while Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress, APC came fourth with 96,458.
However, in the lead judgement read by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the apex court held that Uzodinma proved the allegation of exclusion of results in 388 polling units of the state where he scored 213, 695 votes.
The group further alleged that it has been reliably informed that the Supreme Court is going to use the same panel that delivered the January 14 judgement.
“They’ve decided to fix both Zamfara and Imo review on Tuesday so they can strike a political balance, and no amount of political correctness and expediency can solve the injustice done in Imo where the Supreme Court awarded votes that do not exist to the APC. How can the apex court explain how it awarded votes to Hope Uzodinma of APC beyond number of registered voters and accredited voters in the election,” the group said.
