Former Imo State Governor, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha (left) and Governor Hope Uzodimma
Hope Uzodimma, the embattled governor of Imo State has said those who call him “Supreme Court Governor,” are ignorant. The governor who has been pre-occupied by the ‘battle’ of trying to stop people calling him “Supreme Court” made governor rather than provide the lack of leadership in the state spoke to Hard Copy, an interview programme on Channels Television at the weekend.
The governor claimed that he emerged through a “legitimate means,” adding that he was also not the first to be favoured by a Supreme Court judgement in the country. But, his claim is not consistent with the realities of the moment as the alleged judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which smuggled him to the Imo State government house has been condemned from one end of the globe to the other. That judgement when it was made thoroughly ridiculed whatever was remaining of the integrity of the judiciary in Nigeria as the comity of nations see Nigeria as a country where the highest bidder gets judicial favours as Uzodimma put it.
Asked how he feels when people call him a Supreme Court governor, Uzodimma said, “It is the height of ignorance because they don’t know what they are saying. There is a reason for the Supreme Court. In the doctrine and principle of democracy, the law expected that there would be grievances and malpractices in the electoral process. When this happens, the only legitimate right you have is to seek redress at the court. And of course, the court determines.
“Remember that this is not the first time, so many elections had held where the candidates went to court, and they got justice. So, why will mine be different? Human beings voted and the votes were not counted. I went to the Supreme Court and INEC was unable to explain why they did not enter the result. It was a simple judgment. The Supreme Court said INEC was wrong.”
The apex court had, on January 14, removed Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ground that he did not score the lawful majority votes in the Imo governorship race. The court said it arrived at that decision after adding votes scored by Uzodinma in 388 polling units, which showed that he won the race.
It subsequently declared Uzodimma the winner of the election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to give him a Certificate of Return as elected Imo governor. Ihedioha, however, returned to the Supreme Court with a view to seeking a review of the judgement that removed him from office but failed.
