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Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has accused the PDP of taking advantage of the ignorance of the people to order them to protest against his victory at the Supreme Court.
The governor who disclosed this through his spokesman, Oguike Nwachukwu, faulted the protest as unnecessary. He said following the judgement by the apex court, he had received congratulatory messages from top members of the PDP and he accused the mastermind of the protest as not wishing the state well.
“Why can’t these people behind the protest allow their children who are based abroad to come and lead the protest, they want to endanger the lives of ordinary citizens. I advise parents to warn their children from taking part in such protest, which sometimes degenerates into violence. Why should they take advantage of the ignorant ones, they have their rights to protest, but they should do it within the ambit of the law,” Uzodinma said.
State chairman of APC, Marcillinus Nlemigbo, also described the protest by PDP as a fruitless venture, wondering why the APC did not stage a protest when Ihedioha won.
“They shouldn’t have been a protest, when Ihedioha won, did we protested? Why are they protesting when the pronouncement by the Supreme Court is clear, this people should not turn this state to a place of anarchy,”Nlemigbo said.
Activists and members of the Civil Society Groups have warned of the dangers of the Supreme Court sack of Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State.
The stakeholders, who are members of Alliance for Preservation of Democracy, at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, said the the apex court usurped the powers of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC by adding up the votes and announcing Hope Uzodinma as governor.
Lemmy Ughegbe, who spoke on behalf of thew group, said the country was art a judicial crossroad and warned that if the development was not addressed, it would erode the values of reprieve, justice and faith in the judiciary.
“Judges are ruled by fear of what could befall them if they act contrary to the famed ‘body language’ of those that wield executive powers. It is in this sense that we are concerned. We challenge all Nigerians to come together and seek for ways to save the judiciary from self-destruct. It is still a waiting game to see how the Supreme Court will explain its historical ruling on the Imo gubernatorial contest owing to its obvious somersault on legal precedents it had established prior to the curious judgment of January 14.”
