Human rights group, International Society For Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has faulted the Supreme Court judgment of Tuesday, January 14, 2020 on Imo State, which sacked Emeka Ihedioha and enthroned Hope Uzodimma as the governor, describing it as a usurpation of the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Intersociety alleged that the apex court judgment, which went in favour of Uzodinma, was also politically motivated, stressing that the Supreme Court resorting to votes cancelled in 388 poling units in the Imo State elections was deceitful and diversionary.
This was contained in a statement issued by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Intersociety’s Board Chairman; Chinwe Umeche Head Democracy and Good Governance, and Obianuju Igboeli, Head of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law respectively, on Monday.
The statement read: “The Apex Court has again invented another judicial ‘America Wonder’ by declaring a candidate who came a distant fourth in an election as ‘duly elected governor’, even when he scored one third of the validly cast votes scored by the highest votes scorer and about 13 percent of the total validly cast votes of 714,335.
“In other words, the newly Supreme Court crowned Imo Governor abysmally scored one third or 96, 458 of what the Supreme Court ousted Governor scored (273, 404) and about 13 percent of the total validly cast votes (714, 335).
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“With the latest Supreme Court ‘America Wonder’, it is most likely to be bye-bye to popular citizens’ participation in the country’s electoral process; with full-fledged field day of electoral violence and bloodletting created for politicians.
“It is recalled that the INEC had in March 2019 Imo Governorship poll, through its Chief Returning Officer who doubles as Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, in Abia State; announced that out of the 2,221,008 registered voters in Imo State, 823,743 were accredited to vote in the state’s governorship poll; and out of which 739, 485 votes were cast.
“A total of 714, 355 were validated and 25, 130 invalidated or rejected. Of the 714, 335 validated votes, Emeka Ihedioha of PDP polled 273, 404 votes, scoring the highest votes with two-thirds majority spread in over 18 LGAs.
“Uche Nwosu of the AA came second with 190, 364, followed by Ifeanyi Ararume of APGA, who polled 114, 676; and Hope Uzodimma of the APC, who polled 96, 458 and came fourth. Ikedi Ohakim of the Accord Party came distant fifth with 6, 846 votes.”
The rights group noted: “Imo State presently has 27 Local Government Areas and 644 autonomous communities and going by the tragic judgment of the Supreme Court, 618, 877 validly cast votes ‘were invalidated’ and only 96, 458 ‘validated’.
“The 96, 458 votes ‘validated’ by the Supreme Court are further divided to translate to about 3,700 votes for each of the state’s 27 LGAs and 150 for each of the state’s 644 autonomous communities. This is totally strange and unheard of in the history of Nigeria’s electoral process and its litany of judicial enquiries or decisions,” the group noted.
