Victory for Imo Governor as tribunal upholds election result

Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The Imo State Governorship Election Triibunal sitting in Abuja has upheld the declaration of Emeka Ihedioha of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo State.

The Tribunal, in a marathon judgment that lasted several hours, dismissed the multiple petitions challenging the victory of Ihedioha for lacking in merit.

The petitions were lodged by the three political parties – Action Alliance (AA), All Progressives Congress (APC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – and their governorship candidates, Uche Nwosu, Hope Uzodinma and Ifeanyi Ararume.

They had asked the Tribunal to nullify the declaration of Ihedioha as governor of Imo State on the grounds that he was unlawfully declared as the governor by officials of the INEC.

Senator Hope Uzodinma and the APC premised their petition on the complaint that he won the majority of lawful votes and secured the mandatory one quarter of the votes cast in at least two thirds of the 27 Local Governments Areas in the state.

Uzodinma told the Tribunal that his votes were unlawfully excluded to ensure his placement at the 4th position.

On his part, Senator Ararume did not claim that he won the election, but that the election was marred by numerous forms of malpractices, corrupt practices and therefore void in 19 local government areas and that other forms of irregularities substantially affected the result of the election in thirteen Local Government Areas.

He alleged that the results were massively inflated in the three local government areas of Aboh-Mbaise, Ezinhitte-Mbaise and Ahiazu-Mbaise and, accordingly, sought for the cancellation of the election and the conduct of a fresh one.

Ararume further alleged that the scores credited to Ihedioha in the three local government areas were higher than what he scored in the remaining 24 local government areas, a fact that evidenced over voting.

In the case of Uche Nwosu, he predicated his petition on the complaint that Ihedioha did not secure the mandatory 2/3 requirement and therefore ought to go for a run off with him.

While claiming to have won the election with majority of votes cast, Nwosu told the Tribunal that the election was vitiated by non compliance with the provisions of the electoral act.

In the alternative, he prayed that he be declared the winner of the election having scored the majority of lawful votes at the election or that the election be cancelled and fresh elections conducted.