IMO State Governorship Election Tribunal Increases Tension in Owerri as Tribunal set to deliver judgement

Tension increased yesterday, in Owerri, as the governorship election tribunal sitting in Owerri, yesterday, said it will communicate to the petitioners a date to deliver judgement on March 9, 2019, Imo governorship election which Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was declared a winner.

This came after the petitioners have adopted all their written addresses, at the tribunal sitting which lasted till 06:30 pm. The candidates challenging Ihedioha’s declaration included the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hope Uzodinma, the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, Uche Nwosu and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA. Recalled, Uzodinma who is asking the tribunal to declare him winner of the election, had during the presentation of evidence, brought 388 polling units alleged to have been omitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, during the governorship election of March 9th, 2019, which produced Ihedioha of the, PDP, a winner.

They admitted by the tribunal. The 2019 governorship candidate of the APC, Hope Uzodinma, (Petitioner) who was led to the witness box by his counsel, Olusola Oke SAN, tendered the results before the tribunal which were accepted as exhibit by the tribunal.

Also, the governorship election tribunal also admitted in evidence the 366 polling units results alleged to have been excluded from the 2019 Imo state governorship final results that saw the declaration of Ihedioha of the PDP, winner of the election in the state.

The evidence was tendered before the tribunal by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Rabiu Huseini, in charge of operations in Imo state, during the elections. While, the Governorship candidate of the AA, party, Nwosu, is challenging the Ihedioha’s declaration on the grounds that it was faulty and that he did not meet the required two-third as stated by the electoral act. Now is asking that there should be a re-run between him (Nwosu) and Ihedioha. While Araraume of APGA was demanding for total cancellation of the entire election citing irregularities and unlawful votes allowed to Ihedioha among other evidence for which the tribunal should cancel the election.