The supreme court has fixed October 31 to hear an
application filed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) seeking to
remove Hope Uzodinma from office as Imo state governor.
The hearing is coming three years after the party filed the
application in July 2020.
APGA is contending that there ought to have been a fresh
election in the state after the apex court nullified the election of Emeka
Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
BACKGROUND
In December 2020, the supreme court upheld a judgment of the
court of appeal which nullified the candidature of Uche Nwosu as the
governorship flagbearer of Action Alliance.
The court held that Nwosu was guilty of double nomination by
having the ticket of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and AA.
Consequently, Nwosu withdrew his appeal challenging
Ihedioha’s victory at the poll.
However, on January 14, the apex court voided Ihedioha’s
election and declared Hope Uzodinma, who came fourth in the election, as the
duly elected governor of the state.
APGA’S APPLICATION
APGA is contending that Uzodinma’s candidacy ought to have
been nullified since the APC had given tickets to the governor and Nwosu.
The party said the supreme court did not rule on the
validity of Uzodinma’s candidacy since it was not challenged by Ihedioha and
the PDP in the appeal marked SC/1462/2019.
“In the eyes of the law, the absence of a duly and validly
nominated/sponsored candidate by a political party as a constitutional precedent
has made it imperative for INEC to conduct a fresh election in Imo state,”
Stephen Nwoga, counsel to the applicant, stated.
“Consequently, there is no decision of this court that has
determined or established that senator Hope Uzodinma is the duly
nominated/sponsored governorship candidate of the APC in Imo State as
stipulated by Section 11177(c) of the Constitution.”
APGA, whose candidate secured a total of 114,676 votes to
come third in the 2019 governorship election, is praying the apex court to
order a fresh election “excluding the APC and Action Alliance (AA)”.
Meanwhile, Uzodinma is seeking re-election as governor in
the forthcoming poll slated for November 11.
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