The Imo State government has called on the Federal Government and the National Assembly, to probe the 2019 governorship election and why Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of the state, was declared winner of the polls, which he never won
The Supreme Court had sacked Ihedioha from office in January 2020 and replaced him with Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba made the demand in Owerri
According to Emelumba, “Section 179 of the constitution is clear how a candidate can be declared a governor. Subsection A of the section states that if the candidate has the majority of lawful votes cast in the election while subsection B states that if the candidate has not less than one quarter of votes cast in each of at least two thirds of all the local government areas in the state”.
He said going by the Constitutional requirements, Ihedioha did not get one quarter of votes cast in 18 LGs which is two thirds of the 27 local government areas of the state. According to him, INEC only declared him winner in 10 LGS, 7 short of the required 18 LGs, yet he was declared winner of the election.
He alleged that both PDP, Ihedioha and others, connived and compromised the electoral process by flagrantly abusing the constitutional requirements. “This is a serious rape of the Constitution that should be investigated to know who the perpetrators are. It has never happened in this country before that someone who did not meet the Constitutional requirements is declared winner of a governorship election. It should not be swept under the carpet. “
Asked if the Government was not satisfied with the Supreme Court judgement which restored Uzodimma’s victory, Emelumba said they were satisfied because justice had been served.
But in a situation where a thief is caught and the stolen object recovered from him and he still goes about shouting that something was stolen from him, there is need for an appropriate sanction,” he said.
The Commissioner further alleged that PDP and Ihedioha also colluded with INEC returning officers to omit the results of 388 units where APC won convincingly so as to get “away with this electoral heist of the century”.
“From the onset, it was a deliberate plot to keep APC and Hope Uzodimma from the front to ensure they perpetrated that fraud. That is why you hear them shouting that he came fourth and has no claim, ” he noted.
Emelumba insisted that those who raped and desecrated the Constitution including the beneficiaries ought to be brought to book.
“It is not enough that Ihedioha was removed from office. He and his collaborators need to be punished for the sacrilege they committed against the Constitution to serve as a deterrent to other would be felons, especially now that we are heading to 2023.” He said the Government of Imo State believes that a thorough probe by the federal government into why Ihedioha was declared governor when he didn’t win the election will help sanitize the electoral process” he said.