Supreme Court should order fresh election in Imo, says group

TRACKING______A group, Movement for the Advancement of Democracy in Nigeria, has said the Supreme Court ought to have ordered a re-election in Imo State, instead of declaring Senator Hope Nzodinma as Governor.

The group said neither Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nor Senator Nzodinma met the criterion of geo-electoral spread as enshrined in the electoral law.

The association said while APC National Chairman Comrade Adam’s Oshiomhole was right when he pointed out that Ihedioha did not meet the provisions of Section 179(2) of the 1999 Constitution, Uzodinma did not also meet the same constitutional stipulations.

The group’s position was endorsed by Cadrell Advocacy Center, Youth Arise for Nigeria and Constitutional Rights Advocates Initiative.

The group maintained that the two candidates did not have a spread of 25 percent of votes in two-thirds of the local governments in Imo State.

An activist, Evan’s Ufeli, who spoke on behalf of the group, said while Ihedioha only secured 25 percent in 14 of 27 local governments, Uzodinma secured 25 percent in only two councils-Orlu East and Orlu West.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court did not reflect in its judgment the local governments the particular councils where the APC flag bearer met the 25 percent threshold.

Ufeli added: “The Supreme Court ought to order another election for the two main candidates.

“To save our constitutional democracy from public ridicule and opprobrium as currently seen with the international condemnation that greeted the judgment.

“Our position is borne out of the fact that a void act is a non-event. Consequently it can never be too late to declare a void act a nullity and to have it se aside.”