Group Applauds Supreme Court’s Decision to Revisit 2019 Imo Guber Dispute

Wale Igbintade

A public policy think tank, the Neo Africana Centre (NAC), has expressed satisfaction with the decision of the Supreme Court to revisit the December 20, 2019 judgment on the Imo State governorship election of 2019.

The unsettled issues around that election have led to disruptions and instability in the Imo State political landscape, culminating in the removal of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of the state.

Specifically, the Supreme Court had in the December 20 judgment affirmed that a certain Uche Nwosu was guilty of double nomination, having emerged as the governorship candidate of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Action Alliance (AA).

By reason of that double nomination, the Supreme Court pronounced him disqualified from the election. The logical consequence of that pronouncement was that the political parties whose tickets he held, did not participate in that election.

In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Jenkins Udu, the Centre said it was difficult to understand how a political party, in this case the APC, which has been disqualified from an election by reason of double nomination will be assigned another candidate for the same election.

This was the curious thing about the January 14, 2020 judgment in which Hope Uzodimma was passed off as the candidate of the APC in the same election.

The think tank said the absurdity of January 14 would not have taken place if the Supreme Court had given effect to its earlier judgment of December 20.

It has therefore commended the court for revisiting the issue in the hope that justice, even though it has been delayed in this matter, should not be denied ultimately.

The statement reads in part: “We at the Neo Africana Centre have followed with keen interest the political developments in Imo State since the turbulent turn of events that followed the outcome of the governorship election held in the state on March 9, 2019.

As an organisation whose focus areas revolve around good governance and democracy, we do not shy away from issues that tend to detract from our core objectives.

“The truth is that the Imo political situation has been a pain in the neck following the unjustified removal of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State on January 14, 2020. Our concern here is that the judgment under reference was an illicit jump. It would not have been necessary if the Supreme Court which, in its December 2019 judgment, disqualified a certain Uche Nwosu from the governorship election on grounds of double nomination had given effect to its judgment.

“It is therefore heartwarming that the court has decided to revisit the issue, in full recognition of the fact that its December 20 judgment has been hanging in the balance. We appreciate the fact that the Supreme Court understands the need to take judgments to their logical conclusions by ensuring that consequential pronouncements are not overlooked.

“Regardless of the fact that a fresh election will hold in Imo State soonest, the need to resolve the lingering issues around the 2019 exercise remains paramount. The coming election in Imo State will be haunted by the ghost of 2019 if the contentious issues are not laid to rest.

“We believe that the judgment fixed for December 5, 2023 is more important than the election of November 11, 2023. Its ultimate import will be to ensure that even though justice has been delayed in this matter, it should not be denied outright. We therefore urge the Supreme Court to stay on track in this matter. The people of Imo State need justice and this will come through a tidy cleansing of the Augean Stable around the March 9, 2019 governorship election.”