The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has washed their hands off the controversial Imo guber verdict delivered by the Supreme Court that returned the All Progressives Congress to the Douglas House.
The Apex Court had on January 14th, 2020 declared Senator Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress that came a distant 4th winner of the guber election held in the state.
Justice Kekere-Ekun while delivering the judgement said with the results from the 388 polling units added, Mr Uzodinma polled a majority of the lawful votes and ought to have been declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
But speaking to the stakeholders, INEC told them to hold the Supreme Court responsible for the reversal of the 2019 governorship election result which the Commission declared in the state.
Elomba.com reports that the electoral body made the comment, Monday, during the Stakeholders’ sensitization exercise on the creation of new polling units held in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, called on the stakeholders to press upon the National Assembly for a legislation to bar the Apex court from usurping its functions of collating, tabulating and announcing election results.
Earlier in his reaction, the Imo state secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, Hon. Ray Emeana, queried INEC for its inability to defend the outcome of a transparent 2019 governorship election which it conducted in Imo state, and also wondered if INEC would claim to be neutral even when it declared a political party winner without a candidate in the Imo North senatorial bye-election.
Many other political leaders and stakeholders took turns to air their grievances, all of which pointed out a looming political apathy in the state. The belief is that electoral votes may no longer count, as a few political actors only compromise the judiciary to upturn the collective wishes of the people.
