Imo judgement review: Soyinka, Abdulsalami Abubakar, others, to monitor Supreme Court

The Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and the former Nigeria’s Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, to monitor Tuesday’s Supreme Court review on Imo governorship election.

Recall that the Supreme Court on January 14 had sacked the victory of Emeka Ihedioha and has declared Senator Hope Uzodinma validly elected Governor of Imo State.

In the judgement delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun that the appeal filed by Senator Ifeanyi Ararume was dismissed on the ground that the appellant is not prove the allegation that there result.

Declared that virtue to Hope Uzodima were wrongly excluded shall be added to the result therefore Governor Emeka Ihedioha is not validly elected.

Therefore, Hope Uzodinma is the rightful elected governor and certificate of return be given to him

Also, Emeka Ihedioha had on Wednesday, February 5, returned to the Supreme Court, asked the court to sack Hope Uzodinma as governor.

The leading counsel to Ihedioha, Ndukwe Nnawuchi, SAN, told newsmen in Abuja said that Ihedioha and the PDP filed an application before the apex court, asking it to set aside the January 14 judgment “on grounds of nullity”.

He said, “The election of March 9, 2019, was challenged in the election tribunal where the judgment was delivered in Ihedioha’s favour.

Meanwhile, a Third Force Movement consisting of eminent academics and organized civil society have commended the Nigerian Supreme Court for its decision to review its controversial ruling of March 9, 2019, on Imo governorship election.

The group says it has engaged the services of the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and Prof. Pat Utomi, leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, the International community and various civil society groups to help monitor the Tuesday Supreme Court review to forestall further irregularities in the state.

In a joint statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the group described as a mark of maturity the decision of the Apex Court to review its earlier ruling, adding that such step will go a long way in dousing the political tension in the state.

The press statement, according to our reporter was signed by the group’s spokesperson, Dr. Olusegun Awe One and made available to the press.

The statement further hailed the international community and concerned Nigerians for their diplomatic vigilance and interventions on the survival of the nation’s democracy by rising up to the occasion.

The group earlier averred that apart from the total valid votes which the Apex Court based its ruling which however exceeded the total accredited voters by INEC, Senator Hope Uzodinma may also not have fulfilled the constitutional requirements for a validly elected governor of the state, having failed to score at least one-quarter of the votes cast in each of the at least two-thirds of all the local government areas in the state.

It condemned the observable “double standard” by the Apex Court by earlier declaring Uche Nwosu the authentic candidate of APC in the state and declaring Senator Hope Uzodinma winner who is also a candidate of APC, a development it said has remained contradictory.

The leaders also asserted that the judgment completely overthrows all known judicial precedence and electoral jurisprudence in Nigeria, insisting that its reversal by the Supreme Court will prevent the precipitation of a major uprising and anarchy in Imo capable of overwhelming security and stability in the entire southeast.

It, however, charged the people of Imo state and entire southeast to remain calm and hopeful, expressing optimism that the Apex Court will do justice to the matter during its review on Tuesday.

Other persons engaged by the group to monitor the review are former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Mr Femi Falana, Comrade Shehu Sanni, Oby Ezekwesili, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Alhaji Balarebe Musa amongst others.

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