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Godwin Tsa, Abuja and George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has asked the Abuja division of the Federal High Court to grant an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him with a Certificate of Return as the Senator- elect for Imo West senatorial district.
Okorocha won in the February 23 Imo West senatorial election, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was, however, not presented with a certificate of return, as his name was not listed among the senators-elect who were presented with their certificates of return by INEC.
The commission claimed the winner of the Imo West senatorial district election was announced under duress.
It, therefore, did not list anyone as the winner.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof Francis Ibeawuchi, declared Okorocha as the winner of the poll, having polled 97,762 votes ahead of his closest rival, Mr. Jones Onyereri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who had 68,117 votes.
However, both the PDP and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) protested the declaration of Okorocha as the winner of the election.
Ibeawuchi later claimed he was forced to declare Okorocha as the winner to save his life.
But determined to claim his mandate, Okorocha had, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/296/2019, filed by his counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), seeks court order compelling INEC to issue him a certificate of return, as the validly elected senator for Imo West senatorial district.
In the suit, where he listed the electoral body as the sole defendant, Okorocha contended that having declared him winner of the election, INEC has no power to withhold his certificate of return.
The matter was then adjourned to April 5 by 2:00p.m for hearing.
Meanwhile, leadership of the state chapter of the PDP has restated the allegation against the outgoing governor, for allegedly pillaging the state ahead of the expiration of his tenure on May 29.
The party said the state governor had, last week, disposed off 71 government vehicles, including Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and heavy duty trucks, at a ridiculous price of N6.1 million, through the traditional ruler of Amannachi as the auctioneer.
However, when contacted on the allegation, Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Mr. Mark Uchendu, said: “Those vehicles have been evaluated from 2011 and deemed unserviceable and were, therefore, sold off with the approval of the state governor, who had appointed an auctioneer in the person of Eze M.U Osakwe, who disposed off the vehicles, and that was last year November, but no vehicle belonging to the state government has been auctioned.”
