Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing of Emeka Ihedioha Appeal by the Supreme Court, the governorship candidate of Reform and Advancement Party in the 2019 governorship election in Imo State, Mr Okere Kingdom Nnamdi, has advanced reasons why the apex court should reverse its earlier decision.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Monday, the legal practitioner said the judgment was erroneously premised on results from 388 polling units when only 366 polling units’ results were admitted in the Election Petition Tribunal before being expunged at the lower courts.
He said: “It is obvious that the Supreme Court relied only on the submission of Hope Uzodinma without any reference to the records of proceedings of the Tribunal and Court of Appeal or otherwise.
“It would have realised that even though Hope Uzodinma claimed 388 polling units, he only dumped 366 discredited polling units through the police.
“Yet, the Supreme Court unilaterally credited him with figures from the 388 units which figures didn’t remove the 20 or even 22 polling units that were in fact not tendered before the Tribunal.”
Speaking further, he said the judgment did not consider zoning and federal character. He said Owerri zone is being marginalised. He lamented that since 1999 the zone is yet to produce a governor.
He said: “Since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, our brothers from Orlu zone have occupied the governorship position of the state and some crude political elements are derogating our sense of belonging.
“Both Uzodinma and Rochas Okorocha is from the same zone. This certainly breaches the principles of federal character, equity and fairness contain in the APC constitution.”
THE SUN
