Imo tribunal: Ihedioha opens defence Saturday

There is apprehension in Owerri, the Imo State capital, as Governor Emeka Ihedioha opens defence on Saturday in the petition filed against his election by three of the parties that participated in the 2019 governorship election.

The tribunal had fixed two days, Saturday, August 17 and Monday 19, for Ihedioha to defend himself in the petition.

Ihedioha is facing an uphill task from Ugwumba Uche Nwosu’ Action Alliance (AA), Senator Ifeanyi Araraume of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Senator Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Last week Nwosu closed his case by calling his last witness, the Director General, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu Campaign Organisation, Chief Chidi Ibe.

In his petition, Nwosu is contending that the votes in the three local government areas of Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu and Ezinihitte Mbaise were massively rigged in favour of Ihedioha. He also averred that Ihedioha did not meet the required two-thirds majority of the votes cast in the 27 local government areas of the state.

Araraume and Uzodinma  are urging the tribunal to nullify Ihedioha’s election and set aside the March 9 governorship election for being invalid and substantially non-compliant with the provision of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the 1999 Constitution.

Specifically Araraume in his petition no: IM/EPT/GOV/03/2019 dated March 29, and filed on his behalf by Ahmed Raji (SAN); K.C Nwufo (SAN); I. K Bawa (SAN), is asking the court to void the Certificate of Return issued to Ihedioha as the governor-elect and prayed for an order that INEC should conduct a fresh gubernatorial election in Imo State, in compliance with the provision of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.

He joined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and PDP as respondents.

Araraume further averred that all the scores and purported votes from the local government areas were as a result of massively thumb printing by agents of PDP in favour of Ihedioha. The APGA candidate also claimed that there was massive hijacking and diversion of ballot papers and other electoral material to places other than polling units.

Uzodinma in his own petition, is praying the tribunal to nullify the declaration of Ihedioha, as winner of the election by the INEC and declare him the winner, having polled majority of the lawful votes cast at the election and satisfied the mandatory constitutional threshold and spread across the state, saying he “ought to be returned.’’

Uzodinma, who came fourth in the election as declared by INEC, is basking on the euphoria of the admittance by the tribunal of the results 388 polling units in the state, which he claimed were in his favour but were omitted from the final collation of the governorship results.

He alleged that the INEC fraudulently excluded votes cast for the APC at the polling units across the state, which gave the PDP candidate undue advantage, adding however, that after tabulating the valid votes at the polling units, he defeated the PDP candidate with a large margin.