As citizens of Imo state decry the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 2019 governorship election, Citizens Centre For Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR) has joined its voice to condemn the miscarriage of justice done to Imo citizens.
In a release issued to newsmen in Owerri, Imo State capital, the Executive Director of CCIDESOR, Ogechi Ikeh noted that although the Supreme Court is yet to release details of how they came about their judgement of 14th January, 2020 on the case between Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of PDP and Senator Hope Uzodinma of APC, staying that the facts in the public domain show that they are unlikely to convince majority of Nigerians that such judgement satisfies the basic qualities of Justice and good conscience.
CCIDESOR posited that Supreme Court being the final court, it is only a final court of Justice not injustice, while calling for the release of the details of their judgement, if they agree with the mathematical disagreement between total accredited voters and the supreme court’s new total votes cast, calling on the supreme court to keep pride away, put the nation first and ensure that justice is done by correcting any miscarriage of justice observed, because they are not infallible.
“We need the Supreme Court to retain the trust and hope of citizens in its ability to dispense justice no matter the circumstance. If the trust and hope of citizens on justice from Supreme Court are shattered, Nigeria will take a long time to recover if she will ever recover”, the release stated
The Organization also observed that, no matter what post judgement decision that will be taken by supreme court, its integrity will be saved if they expose as a matter of justice responsibility, every detail of the 388 polling units from where the figures used to upturn the election result came, stressing that silence on any critical issue raised on the judgement will do more harm than good to the trust Nigerians are expected to have on the supreme court.
It stated ”Supreme Court would have completely endangered the fundamental human rights of the citizens to freely come out to cast their votes if adequate explanation of the judgement is not received. CCIDESOR is worried that the political apathy which INEC addressed during the last election has been destroyed by this judgement. CCIDESOR submit that until INEC becomes the final arbiter in election and not the court our democracy will continue to suffer. If by mistake, the supreme court sentences our democracy to death, Nigerians should get the supreme court to reverse itself than to take our innocent democracy to the gallows”.
“CCIDESOR calls on NGOs, CSOs, FBOs, Media and relevant stakeholders to open wider their watchdog aperture on Imo State, especially during the re-run election taking place in Imo State on the 25th January, 2020 in some polling units while we join hands together to further the ideals of democracy.
