Breaking: Supreme Court Sacks Emeka Ihedioha, Declares Hope Uzodinma Imo State Governor

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, sacked governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State. The apex court, in a unanimous judgment by a seven-man panel of justices that was led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad, held that Ihedioha who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was not duly elected.

The Nigerian Supreme Court on Tuesday canceled the election of Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State and declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress as winner of the election.

Ihedioha is a member of Nigeria’s biggest opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, while Uzodinma is a member of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Party, APC.

The Supreme Court decision, led by President Buhari’s appointee, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, was unanimous.

Justice Tanko led a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court to sack Ihedioha.

The apex court held that Uzodinma won the March 9, 2019, governorship election in Imo State.

Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who read the lead judgment, ordered that the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha be immediately withdrawn and directed that a fresh certificate of return be issued to Uzodinma.

Kekere-Ekun said Uzodinma must be immediately sworn in as the Governor of Imo State.

According to Justice Kekere-Ekun, with the results from the 388 polling units added, Mr Uzodinma polled a majority of the lawful votes and ought to have been declared the winner of the election by the independent national electoral commission, INEC.

The new tabulation therefore voided and set aside the declaration of Mr lhedioha as the winner of the 2019 governorship election.

“Vote due to the appellant Senator Hope Uzodinma and the APC from 388 Polling Units were wrongly excluded from scores ascribed to the appellant(to them).

“It is thereby ordered that the appellant votes from 388 Polling Units unlawfully excluded from the appellant vote declared shall be added and that the first respondent, Emeka Ihedioha, was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast at the said election,” she said.

“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 (Mr Uzodinma) holds the majority of lawful votes cast at the governorship election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019.”

The judge said Mr Uzodinma 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 defendant (Mr Ihedioha) is hereby withdrawn.

“It is hereby ordered that the certificate of return shall be issued to the first appellant, Senator Hope Uzodinma, forthwith and he should be sworn in as the governor of Imo State,” she ruled.

The Supreme decision was at variance with the Court of Appeal ruling which on November 19 affirmed the victory of Mr Ihedioha as the duly elected governor of Imo State.

In that other ruling, a five-member panel of the court led by Oyebisi Omoleye delivered the judgement following the appeals filed by the Action Alliance, the All Progressive Grand Alliance and the All Progressives Congress challenging the election of the governor.

The three appellants argued that Mr Ihedioha did not obtain the constitutionally required one-quarter of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the 27 local government areas of the state, as provided under Section 179 of the Constitution, and asked the court to set aside the decision of the election petition tribunal, which had ruled in favor of Mr. Ihedioha, and declare them the winner of the election or or order a rerun.

Before today’s ruling at the Supreme Court and September 2019 judgment at the Court of Appeals, the three appeals had filed a petition against the judgment of

The Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had upheld the election of Mr Ihedioha.

But the candidates of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Ifeanyi Ararume; the Action Alliance (AA), Uche Nwosu and the All Progressives Party, Hope Uzodinma, disagreed with the judgement and approached the Appeals Court.

They asked the Court of Appeal to void the election of Mr Ihedioha on grounds that he did not obtain the constitutional one-quarter of the votes in at least two-thirds of the 27 local government areas of the state, in line with Section 179 of the Constitution.

But the Appeals Court disagreed with them and upheld Ihedioha’s election. The three appellants then approached the Supreme Court which on Tuesday declared Hope Uzodinma the winner and sacked Ihedioha.