How Hope Uzodinma Emerged as Imo State Governor

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It is no longer news that the Supreme Court Tuesday declared Hope Uzodimma as governor of Imo State.

The seven-member panel of justices held that Emeka Ihedioha was not duly elected as governor, even as the justices, expectedly, reserved reasons for the judgement for a later date.

In a unanimous judgement by the panel headed by Justice Kudirat Kekere Ekun, the Supreme Court said the results of 388 polling units were wrongly excluded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which ought to have been given to Uzodinma.

“The votes due to the appellant, Hope Uzodinma and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from 388 polling units were wrongly excluded from scores ascribed to them.

“It is hereby ordered that Emeka Ihedioha, was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the said election. His return as the elected governor of Imo State is hereby declared null and void and accordingly set aside.

“It is hereby declared that the first appellant (Uzodinma) holds the majority of lawful votes cast at the governorship election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019, and has satisfied the mandatory constitutional requirement.

“It is hereby declared that first appellant, Senator Hope Uzodinma is the winner of the governorship of Imo State held on March 9, 2019.

“The certificate issued to the first respondent (Ihedioha) is hereby withdrawn. It is hereby ordered that the certificate of return shall be be issued to the first appellant, Senator Hope Uzodinma, forthwith and he should be sworn in as the governor of Imo State,” the Supreme Court declared.

INEC had declared Ihedioha winner of the March 9, 2019 guber poll in Imo State with 273,404 votes to defeat Nwosu who scored 190,364, leaving a difference of 83,040.

Araraume got 114,676, followed by Uzodinma who polled 96,458 votes.

In the results announced by the Returning Officer, Francis Otunta, out of 2,210,008 registered voters, 823,743 were accredited out of which the election had 741,355 valid votes cast and 25,130 rejected votes.

With Tuesday’s Supreme Court judgement, a total of 213,295 votes from 388 polling units initially cancelled by INEC were added to Uzodinma’s 96,458 which equals to 309,753.

This gave victory to Uzodinma as against Ihedioha with 273,404 votes, according to the Supreme Court judgement.

It would be recalled that Uzodimma had challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal which upheld the election of Ihedioha, but the Appellate Court in Abuja last November dismissed three appeals.

A five-member panel of justices led by Justice Oyebisi Omoyele had dismissed the appeals by the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) candidate, Uche Nwosu; that of APC, Uzodinma; and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) guber candidate, Ifeanyi Ararume, challenging Ihedioha’s victory.

The appeals by AA and APGA were dismissed by unanimous judgements, but APC’s appeal was decided by a four to one split judgement.

The appellants had in their appeals against the judgement of Imo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Owerri contended that the election was marred by corrupt practices, non-compliance with the electoral laws and failure to secure the majority of lawful votes cast.

But the Appellate Court upheld the findings and conclusions of the tribunal in the March 9 election where Ihedioha polled 273,404 votes to emerge victorious

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