Full Statement By Emeka Ihedioha After Supreme Court Decision

Emeka Ihedioha

Dear Ndi Imo and fellow Nigerians,

On Tuesday 3rd March 2020, the Supreme Court of Nigeria gave a ruling rejecting our application to set aside its earlier judgement of 14th January 2020 on the Imo State governorship election. This is certainly not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for and I know how disappointed you must feel. While it is disheartening to note that your desire to introduce good governance has been halted, at least for now, it is also gratifying that our modest efforts have not gone unnoticed. I, therefore, feel a sense of pride and gratitude for the wonderful energy and commitment that we deployed together to secure the mandate that has now been brazenly stolen from us.

Permit me to use this opportunity to thank all those who played one role or another in this historic quest for justice and truth. I must thank members of the diplomatic community for voicing their concerns for the stability of our country. I commend the Chairman and Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for their vanguard role and leadership during this period. 

In particular, my special thanks go to all Imo citizens for their uncommon support, solidarity, and collective outrage. Never have people been so united and committed to a cause. You prayed, fasted, marched, protested and even cried. You sacrificed your time, resources, and endeavour for this just cause. On this matter, the people of Imo State collectively rose to demand for justice and fairness. Imo people rose up in defence of their right to elect leaders of their choice. Our people resoundingly rejected oppression and power grab, defied imposition, injustice and tyranny. I salute Imo people for this display of courage in the face of oppressive state power.

I will forever be in the debt of Nigerians of all walks of life, across ethnic, religious and political divides, senior citizens, journalists, civil societies, ordinary men and women of good conscience, who added their voice to condemn the injustice done in our case. These are people unknown to me personally but who could not bear the illogic of turning number four to number one on the basis of a fraudulently procured result, and appealed to the Supreme Court to save itself and our judiciary. 

Whatever may be the personal injury I suffer as a result of the miscarriage of justice, my main concern in this whole tragic episode is not about me. It has always been about the implications this judgement could have for the future of our democracy and the right of the electorate to have their votes count. If institutions that are critical to the entrenchment of the rule of law could thwart the wishes of the people in a cynical manner, where lies the future of our democracy? That was why I sought a review of the Supreme Court judgement. Even though justice was not served at the end, the well-articulated dissenting judgement delivered by His Lordship, Justice Centus Nweze, has vindicated our stand. I am sure that history and posterity will be kind to him.

To those who are rejoicing about their successful political fraud at the expense of Imo people, as well as their collaborators, let me leave them with the immortal words of the late journalist, Dele Giwa: “No evil deed will go unpunished; any evil done by man to man will be redressed; if not now then certainly later; if not by man, then by God for the victory of evil over good is temporary’. We believe that God will render the ultimate judgment. He has been with us through this peaceful struggle. And our future is in His hands.

In conclusion, I wish to express my appreciation to members of our legal team who pushed the frontiers of electoral jurisprudence to advance our constitutional democracy. I wish also to thank my team of committed colleagues who served in various capacities during our administration. It has been a great privilege to serve the people of Imo State as Governor. I am proud to have been the recipient of their genuine mandate. I will forever cherish the support, solidarity and cooperation given to me during my tenure. My belief in the ultimate triumph and supremacy of the will of the people remains intact. I pray God to bless and reward all those who stood firm on the path of justice and fair play.

On a personal note, I accept trials and difficulties as part of life as they enable one to become wiser and more sympathetic to the plights of others in similar circumstances. But I am firmly resolved NEVER to give up on the struggle for a better Imo State. And for a better governed Nigeria. May God bless Imo State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Thank you and God bless.

POLITICS: The Immediate Challenge Of Imo APC

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma. Image: Facebook

BY EMEKA ASINUGO

The tussle between the main Opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State took a 360-degree turn when the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the Election Tribunal and the Appeal Court and confirmed Senator Hope Uzodinma of the APC as the legitimately elected governor of Imo State on 3 March 2020. In an attempt to get an earlier verdict repealed, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and his team of lawyers from the PDP camp had requested the apex court to review the case in the light of new evidences of mass discrepancies during the elections. But among its 7-man panel of jurists, six members stood their grounds while one insisted that the Supreme Court erred and should reverse its earlier decision.

Many observers had hoped that the Supreme Court was at least going to call for a re-run of the elections. But the eminent jurists stuck to their guns and insisted that Senator Uzodinma remained the governor because they could not possibly afford to lose face by swallowing the saliva they had earlier spat out. They probably relied on the often quoted dictum of the erudite Supreme Court jurist, Chuwudifu Oputa, who said the Supreme Court is not supreme because it was infallible, but it was infallible because it is Supreme.

The Imo gubernatorial case immediately raised very important political questions which the judiciary in Nigeria must be careful to consider in future electoral judgments. Was it constitutionally lawful for the court to impose a leader on the voting masses by virtue of legal technicalities? In the case of Uzodinma versus Ihedioha, for example, none of the two candidates secured the mandatory spread of votes across two-thirds of the local government areas of the state. Therefore, for any of them to be declared the winner, based on legal technicalities, clearly ran against the provisions of the constitution.

The unwillingness of the apex court to consider the fact that the number of votes accredited to the incumbent governor was far in excess of the total accredited number of voters was another glaring case of complacency. There were other arguments for and against the justification of the verdict. But at the end of the day, the Supreme Court had its way and declared Senator Uzodinma as winner.

It is important, at this juncture, to appreciate the fact that both Senator Hope Uzodinma and Hon. Emeka Ihedioha are sons of Imo land. So, since Uzodinma has been recognized by the highest court in the land over and above Ihedioha as the incumbent governor of the state, any further agitations against his continuation as governor would not only be a distraction of his focus on fulfilling his electoral promises, it would be a draw-back on the development of the very state everyone claims to love. So, the best bet would be for the people of Imo State to stop every form of agitation, rally round Uzodinma and his APC government, and help them deliver on their electoral promises.

When Senator Uzodinma unveiled his campaign manifesto to the good people of Imo State on 14 January 2019, he promised to focus on infrastructural development and to turn around the public image of the people of Imo State if elected into office. The event, still very clear in the memory of many Imo people and their well wishers had attracted dignitaries from across the state, which included traditional rulers, civil servants, market men and women, and the clergy. Party faithful and supporters were there also to chant accolades to the APC governorship candidate.

He had promised then, that his 5-point blueprint for the economic revival of the state would be consummated in a purpose-driven government, anchored on a tripod vision of economic recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation. In a nutshell, Senator Uzodinma promised to overhaul the structure of the civil service and cognate institutions to ensure a merit-based system. He promised to pay salaries promptly, especially those of civil servants and pensioners, to ensure greater productivity.

This is very important considering the fact that when civil servants are not paid as at and when due, there is a tendency for them to resort to corrupt practices to be able to provide food for their families and to pay their house rents and other bills like electricity bills. In the process, they unwittingly create the opportunity for their superior officers to cart away huge sums of public funds into private bank accounts because everyone is practically corrupt, leaving no one to blow the whistle when the big shots mismanage public funds.

Senator Uzodinma spoke on his desire to enhance education in the state. He would turn Imo State into a knowledge-driven economy and accelerate manpower development through a highly functional and qualitative educational system that would focus on science and technology. He would also establish or more like improve on the scope and spread of skills acquisition and vocational centres in the state. More importantly, he would establish job centres to enhance job search and placements for the myriads of school leavers in the state, desperately in need of jobs. This would also be important in warding off Imo youths from the temptation of involving in criminal activities.

But, somehow, Senator Uzodinma did not mention anything about child poverty in the state, which is also a worrying recurrent decimal indexing the real development of the state. In many communities in the state today, in villages and towns and even in the cities of Okigwe, Orlu and Owerri, so many young Imo children, some as young as eight years, can be seen hawking commodities like akara, banana, oranges, pure water and similar commodities on the roads and streets, even during school hours when they should be in school. In such a way, they are shamelessly exposed to hazards that include motor accidents, rape and even kidnapping. Imo children deserve a lot better treatment from their government. And Imo people hope that their children’s hope in Governor Hope Uzodinma to turn their fortunes around for the better would not remain an empty dream through the tenure of the governor.

The governor had also spoken of his vision of recovering the state economy and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of core infrastructure and micro, small and medium enterprises. This is indeed a bright idea. But the governor must appreciate that the place to start from with this beautiful idea is the revamping of strategies for the supply of electricity in the state which has remained most epileptic. No small or medium size business can succeed without constant electricity. In fact, many Imo sons and daughters in the Diaspora would rush home to help in the development of the state the moment it is known that the state can boast of electricity supply 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, important trading routes between villages and urban areas need to be tarred to ensure that agricultural products are safely and quickly moved from the rural producing to the urban consuming areas. All these call for proper feasibility studies which can be easily carried out if the governor has a dependable team to work with.

In assuring the good people of Imo State that his government would be accountable to them, the governor had promised to conduct fair and credible local government elections in the state within the first 12 months of his tenure and to reconstitute the local government joint accounts allocation committee to manage and superintend local government funds. This is also a step in the right direction. For some years now, state governors have depended on the use of administrators appointed by them to run the affairs of local governments across the state. Many people had come to associate the process with the desire of the governors to also manage local government allocations from Abuja. And with their hands economically tied by the state governors, these administrators are unable to run the councils efficiently. So, now that Governor Uzodinma has promised to put the money for the running of local councils where it rightfully belongs, the people of Imo State would have to hold local government chairmen and their councillors who underperform responsible for the under-development of their rural communities if it becomes necessary.

All in all, Imo people have learnt through their experiences that when politicians come to seek their mandate, they say all kinds of things and make all kinds of promises to win their hearts and their votes. But as soon as they get the mandate, very little is done. The politicians strategize to remain in office for as long as they possibly can and thereafter they find a way to install their puppets in governance. There is no likelihood that the style would change during Uzodinma’s tenure but it would also be wrong to take him for granted. There have been instances where the stone that was rejected by builders became the cornerstone pillar of the house. No one knows yet what goodies Governor Hope Uzodinma will bring to Imo State.

Before he became a known politician during the 2000s, Uzodinma was the youth leader of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Imo State of the Second Republic. He became prominent in Imo politics as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. In 2003, he contested for the governorship of the state under the auspices of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party and failed. In 2006, he came back to the PDP and sought to contest the governorship election again but lost at the primaries to Senator Ifeanyi Ararume. He was then appointed into the PDP Board of Trustees, from where he was elected into the Senate in 2011, and re-elected in 2015.

Uzodinma is a known businessman who has been involved in the oil and gas sector through his SMIEC Chemical Engineering & Construction Company Limited with which he executed many projects for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He obtained his West African School Certificate from Mgbidi Secondary School, Orlu West in 1982 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and a Diploma in Transport Studies. He also has an honorary doctorate degree from Imo State University.

From the look of things, there is little doubt if any, that Governor Uzodinma is an astute politician who was able to manipulate virtually all members of the Imo State House of Assembly to defect to the APC on assumption of office after Ihedioha’s nullification. He obviously knew that it would be difficult and very expensive for him to succeed as a governor who had no party member in the state House of Assembly. Members of the House would simply have arm-twisted him to get whatever they wanted for themselves and their constituencies. But by massively defecting to the ruling APC, they would now literarily take direct instructions from the governor as members of the same party. How that is going to affect development in Imo State remains to be seen.

Be that as it may, it is now time for Imo people to embrace their fortune with pride and move on with the APC government to further develop their state. It will be necessary for all Imo to key behind the governor to build trust among people from the various local government areas of the state, and by extension, the Igbo Community world-wide because the Igbo abroad cannot claim to be united when those in the country are not. And the governor cannot unite the different factions, some supporting him, some supporting Ihedioha, some supporting Uche Nwosu, some supporting Ifeanyi Ararume and so on, unless Imo people are willing to come together now for the love of their state.

Governor Uzodinma should take his time to gather a good team. That is what makes government work in the interest of the people. He should also try and tolerate dissent. That is what makes democracy work. That is what makes a government become a listening ear. That is what points the governor to the knowledge of the desires and aspirations of those he is governing. The growth of democracy in Imo State is very crucial and very critical to the political history of Nigeria. So, the PDP must remain relevant in the governance of Imo State by maintaining its position as a responsible Shadow Government which the APC in the state cannot ignore or take for granted.

Whatever the APC government can achieve in these three remaining years will definitely define their position in 2023, barring electoral malpractices. One pressing demand is to ensure that APC legislators have properly located and identifiable constituency offices in their areas of jurisdiction and that they take the concerns of their constituents seriously. Imo people must move on and realize that no government can solve all the problems of the people. They should help themselves. They should make good use of the opportunity Governor Uzodinma will be willing to offer them. Our people have a saying that the taste of the pudding is in the eating. The APC government must now settle down to get Imo people to work together with Governor Hope Uzodinma, with the hope that it shall be well at the end of a long night. This is the immediate challenge of Imo APC.

INTERVIEW: ‘Uzodinma Can’t Run Away From Engaging Different Groups In Imo’

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma

Nseobong Okon-Ekong dialogues with Chief Longers Anyanwu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress on expectations from Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State

EXCERPT:

As an insider of the APC decision-making clique are you aware of pressure on Governor Hope Uzodinma to extract certain compromise from him?

The so called pressure to extract special considerations by some power cliques from Governor Uzodinma is a common knowledge to all and sundry in the state. It has become a common knowledge to the people. I guess that’s why the new governor is being careful in who and whom to associate with in order not to allow them infest him with the virus of public opprobrium.
But I can truely confirm to you that there are some powerful clique here and there determined to arm twist the governor to bow to their whims and caprices without consideration to the wishes and aspirations of the overall Ìmo people. The governor should not fall for such heinous trap.

How would you advise the Imo State Governor to engage the contending interests like the former Action Alliance (AA) candidate, Uche Nwosu and Godwin Araraume of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who could have played the spoiler but allowed him a relatively smooth sail?

In a complex state like Ìmo, there’s no way the governor will run away from engaging with different with groups no matter their colour and shape. But he has to be at his best having the fear of God and in respect to the overriding sensibilities of Ìmo people. All the political parties and leaders you mentioned are all members of APC who left in pursuit of their individual ambitions as a result of the ‘macabre’ dance that ensued as a result of the implosion in APC before the gubernatorial primaries and elections. He has to accommodate all particularly those who genuinely want reconciliation.

Managing the different blocs within the APC in Imo State may be a major headache for the Governor, would it better for him to face governance squarely and allow the party chieftains to manage the intrigues within the party?

I totally agree with you. Politics and party intrigue is over. People should allow him concentrate on good governance delivery.

Imo State will now have an off-season governorship election, is that some kind of comforting news to the APC? Can this be exploited to an advantage?

No matter what season you fix elections it’s only God that’s the final arbiter. It doesn’t matter really the only thing is that it removes some pressure from the governor. However, it has its own attraction of eliciting national attention. I think the only panecea is to give people good governance. Simple.

What does the APC need to do to retain its winning edge?

APC under Governor Hope Uzodinma is sure-footed in Ìmo state now with his emergence. Senator Uzodinma, the governor is a consummate politician. You ignore him to your own peril. He is a party man per excellence. The greatest advantage APC will enjoy under his leadership is a generic growth of APC in the entire South-east. Watch out Igbo politicians will now join APC under his leadership because Uzodinma is a leader who knows how to work with everyone.

As you can see in the State House of Assembly, upon the emergence of Sen Uzodinma as governor all the members defected to APC. The PDP state chairman resigned.

SOURCE: THIS DAY LIVE

IMO GUBER: PDP's Journey From The Streets to Supreme Court

BY ONYEKACHI EZE

OWERRI (NEW TELEGRAPH)--After series of street protests and visits to embassies, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finally approached the Supreme Court, seeking a reversal of the judgement that sacked Emeka Ihedioha as Imo State governor, ONYEKACHI EZE reports...

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, was careful in his choice of words, when he addressed party members and supporters during a rally in Abuja on January 20, following the Supreme Court judgement that sacked Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State.

The PDP national chairman had earlier disclosed the party’s intention to seek a review of the judgement. And he was careful not to offend the jurists when the party eventually files its petition for a review. That was why he told party supporters during the rally that PDP was only against the error observed in the judgement, but not the justices.

His words: “We’re not against you (Supreme Court justices), we’re against the error and by the special grace of God, I know you will revisit the error. All we are saying is that for you to review this error because the figures are not adding up.

“We, therefore, call on the leadership of the judiciary to please revisit and reverse the Imo State judgement because we believe that the figures are not adding up. That’s why we’re here, so that the world will hear us. We are a democratic nation, and therefore, all democratic nations of the world are hearing us – United States, United Kingdom, even the United Nations, the African Union and ECOWAS.

“We believe that people at the highest court of the land will hear our cry and revisit, review, and if possible, reverse, the judgement. This is time to show courage.”

The error in the judgement, according to the party was that the apex court inadvertently increased the number of votes in the March 9, 2019 governorship election, by 127,209 votes.

The number of accredited voters was 823,743, out of which, 739,485 was votes cast while 25,130 was cancelled votes, leaving 714,355 as valid votes. But with the addition of 127,209 to Uzodinma’s 96,458 votes (whom the Independent National Electoral Commission, said came fourth in the election), the total number of votes in the election increased to 950,952.

PDP said it “is highly irrational, unfounded, a provocative product of executive manipulation and a recipe for crisis, which should not be allowed to stand.”

The party added: “With the verdict, the Supreme Court executed a coup against the PDP and the people of Imo State as well as other Nigerians, and such must not be allowed to have a place in our democracy.”

On the heels of the judgement, PDP supporters had embarked on street protests. From Owerri, the Imo State capital, to Taraba, Anambra, Sokoto and others, the party mobilised its members and sympathisers to march against the judgement.

The party’s leadership, apart from staging the Abuja rally, also went to the embassies of the United States and France as well as the British High Commission, to submit a petition. It was equally at the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) headquarters in Nigeria for the same purpose.

But on February 5, the party and its candidate (Ihedioha) formally filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, asking it to review the January 14 judgement.

Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), Nigeria’s former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, who filed the appeal on their behalf, prayed the court to declare as “nullity the judgement delivered by this Honourable Court on the 14th of January 2020, in Appeal No. SC.1462/2019 and Cross Appeal No. SC.1470/2019.”

Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, is the first appellant/respondent, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) and INEC are the second and third appeallants/respondents, respectively. Ihedioha and PDP are respondents/applicants.

Governor Uzodinma has as well, filed a cross appeal, asking the court to dismiss the PDP petition on the ground that it is status barred. He argued that the window allowed by law for election petition has elapsed.

PDP and Ihedioha, in their motion on notice, argued that the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction to declare Uzodinma as elected in “an election petition which was based on two inconsistent and mutually exclusive grounds, to wit, (i) that the 1st Applicant was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election, the implication of which is that the majority of votes cast at the election were valid; and, (ii) that the election was invalid for noncompliance with the Electoral Act, the implication of which is that the election be annulled.”

They further argued that the apex court “did not have the jurisdiction to declare the 1st Appellant/Respondent as elected in the absence of any proof that the votes ascribed to him met the mandatory geographical spread stipulated in section 179 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

Further, the applicants contended that the Supreme Court “did not have the jurisdiction to declare that the 1st Appellant/Respondent met the constitutional geographical spread without providing in its judgement the reason(s) for that conclusion.

“The fraudulent nature of the additional votes was demonstrated by the fact that total votes cast as shown in the first appellant/respondent’s computation was more than the total number of voters accredited for the election and in some polling units more than the total number of registered voters.

“The fraud was also demonstrated by the fact that the result computed by the first appellant/respondent showed only the votes of the first applicant and the first appellant/respondent without specifying the votes scored by the other 68 candidates who participated in the election.”

To this effect, the applicants urged the court to hold that the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed Uzodinma’s petition as incompetent, continues to subsist as the appeal against that decision was not considered by the apex court.

The appeal was slated for hearing on February 18, but was later shifted to March 2, to allow both the respondents and applicants file their responses and replies.

The applicants are contesting the results from 388 polling units, which the Supreme Court relied on to declare Uzodinma winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election. This amounted to 213,495 votes, which APC and Uzodinma believed, were unlawfully excluded from their votes during the election.

But PDP argued that exhibits 63RD1 to 63RD19 (which is INEC Forms EC40G) showed that there were no valid elections in the 388 polling units. INEC had told the court that the result from the 388 polling units did not originate from it.

The party’s argument on spread was that even if Uzodinma’s votes were allowed to stand, he did not get the spread in the required number of local government areas in Imo State.

To be declared governor of a state, section 179 (2) of the constitution stipulates that in addition to winning the highest number of valid votes cast in an election, the candidate must also secure 25 per cent of votes in two-third of the local government areas in the state.

Imo State has 27 local government areas. Two-third therefore is 18. PDP’s argument is that Uzodinma has spread in only two local governments, and could not be declared winner because he lacks the required spread.

But some advocacy groups argued that the court should rather order a rerun between the two political parties that have the highest number of votes (PDP and APC) since neither Uzodinma nor Ihedioha met the required spread. While Uzodinma has spread in only two, Ihedioha met the spread in 14 local government areas.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court is being asked to review its judgement. As a matter of fact, the apex court was approached on a number of occasions, asking it to review its earlier judgements. One of the most celebrated is the Johnson v Lawanson of 1970s. This was a case involving Kobina Johnson vs Irene Lawanson and others.

The Supreme Court, upon a request for review, regretted its earlier position that for a deed to be relied on by section 129 of the Evidence Act, it must be 20 years old at the date of proceedings. This was reversed to be 20 years old at the date of the contract.

Justice Coker who delivered the judgement, held that “when the court is faced with the alternative of perpetuating what it is satisfied is an erroneous decision which was reached per incuriam and will, if followed, inflict hardship and injustice upon the generations in the future or of causing temporary disturbances of rights acquired under such decision, I do not think we shall hesitate to declare the law as we find it.”

Consequently, the Supreme Court ordered that the appeal be re-heard by another panel of the justices of the Supreme Court.

PDP’s lawyer, in his final submission, reminded the jurists that “never in the history of this court have your lordships delivered a judgement which evoked the protest of the public. This one has. Therefore, we urge you, we appeal to you to take a second look at it.

“There is no doubting the fact that your lordships, being human, will from time to time fall into error. Prove to the world that when that happens, you will not lack the courage to correct yourselves. That is the unique opportunity that this case offers you.”

He further cited the case of Adegoke Motors v. Adesanya, where the Supreme Court stated that “it is far better to admit an error than to preserve an error.”

PDP is asking the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mohammed Tanko and six other justices, who delivered the January 14 judgement, to recuse themselves from the panel that would review the judgement.

The party said its demand was based on Section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which guarantees fair hearing to every citizen or entity in the determination of his rights or obligations.

“Furthermore, the time honoured and tested principles of natural justice, particularly that no man shall be a judge in his own cause is particularly relevant to this solemn request.

“Allegation of bias or likelihood of bias goes to the root of fair hearing. Denial of right to fair hearing is a logical consequence of bias in any proceeding before a court or a tribunal,” PDP argued.

Uzodinma Forfeits Security Votes

Hope Uzodinma

BY GIBSON ACHONU

OWERRI (PUNCH)--Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, on Wednesday announced that he had forfeited his security vote to enable him to meet up with the economic challenges in the state, especially the payment of salaries and pension.

The governor spoke when he met with the Imo Economic Development Initiative led by Prof. Maurice Iwu, at the Government House in Owerri.

He said he took the decision because of paucity of funds.

He also revealed that his next plan was to establish power and petrochemical plants, boost electricity supply and review the 2020 budget to address the current problems militating against development in the state.

The governor also announced plans to launch a special security outfit to tackle criminals, revealing that over 100 vehicles had been procured for the purpose.

“A new Sheriff is in town and I must deliver,” he said.

Copyright PUNCH.

Imo Legislators’ Hasty Alliance With Uzodimma Dangerous

Hope Uzodinma

BY GILBERT EKEZIE

An entrepreneur and Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of Jude Elswitch Limited, Dr Jude Adindu Nnanna has expressed fears over the quick alliance by some members of the Imo State House of Assembly from PDP, APGA and AA with the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, describing it as a dangerous game that may not be for the best interest of the people. He also called on Ihedioha to go back to the drawing board and wait for another opportunity.

What is your reaction on the recent Supreme Court ruling on Imo State Governorship election of March 9, 2019?

Though, I am not an expert in law but I had the opportunity to read people and some experts’ opinions too, on the matter and, all they are saying is that the Supreme Court dealt with the facts and evidence before them, and gave the judgment. I can only look at it politically and the internal political arrangement in the state. The tripod on which Imo State politics is based, has been disoriented. We have Owerri, Okigwe and Orlu zones in the state and justice and equity demand that it is the turn of Owerri zone to produce the governor, which they did. Unfortunately, it has happened the way it did. So, now the pendulum has been changed by the ruling of the Supreme court that Hope Uzodimma from the same Orlu zone that had already ruled the state for 16 years before Ihedioha came in, should continue. Obviously, that is going to bring a disaffection among the people, no matter how anybody may see it.

I believe that you read Ihedioha’s statement to the people of Imo State after he was sacked by the Supreme Court, could you react on that?

No doubt, the Supreme Court’s verdict, came as a rude shock and surprise, considering the facts on ground, legal precedence and clear verdict of Imo People on March 9, 2019, that returned him as governor, with the highest valid votes of 273,404. He did not agree with the judgement and described it as unfair, unjust and does not reflect the voting that took place during the elections. He also said the ruling did not take care of the sensibilities of the people of Imo State. But as a true democrat, he had no option, but to respect the outcome of that judgement. He promised that he and his team shall always cherish the tremendous goodwill and support given to them as they grappled with setting up a new administration to rebuild a state that was devastated by bad governance. Notwithstanding, he still went ahead to appeal to all Imolites, especially his teeming supporters to remain calm and to shun any action that is capable of resulting in a breach of the peace, and that there can always be different parties, but only one Imo State. Having looked at the above statements, I see him as a man of peace who wants Imo to move forward, knowing full well that there are more and better opportunities tomorrow.

Ihedioha urged Imo people to extend to Uzodimma, the same support they gave to him, as it is his wish that his successor will continue on the path he had set for the rebuilding of Imo State. How does that go with you?

I think he did that as one who has a good spirit and that is how it is supposed to be. There is need for Imo people to support Uzodimma’s government, so that he would consolidate on the progress and milestones Ihedioha’s administration achieved within seven months. I heard him thanking all for their support which saw him achieve so much and reversed the negative trajectory of Imo State within a space of seven months. He said Imo State was looking good again and was declared the least corrupt state in the country, the fastest state growing economy in Nigeria and the most improved, in terms of the deployment of Information Technology in service delivery. He also said that Imo infrastructure was significantly coming to life; civil servants and pensioners were now being paid as and when due and optimism returned to Imo State. It is on record that we were acclaimed as the most sports and Diaspora friendly state. Most importantly, we returned life and activities to our local governments. Yes, we had good plans to make Imo the centre piece of commerce, industry, technology, tourism by providing good leadership and first class infrastructure. Under our watch, Imo became safe with our systematic approach to securing lives and property.

Ihedioha claimed that his mandate was truncated and cut short by the Supreme Court, in contravention of the will of the people, even when he had a good relationship with the people and employed regular consultations and dialogue as a tool of political discourse; what are the expectations from the new government?
The expectations are not far-fetched. Agreed that many are aggrieved on the outcome of the Supreme court ruling, but that will not last for too long. We need to move on for the best interest of our state.

Did you foresee his emergence as governor?

Not at all, and I think nobody did. Even a pool stake in his permutation, could not have imagined that things could turn out the way it did. It all came to all as a surprise. It has beaten all our imagination and they say in our usual parlance that it could be that the hand of God is in it. So, we pray that his emergence should be for the interest of Imo people. Looking at his name Hope, Uzodimma and Imo State being known formally as the Land of Hope, we may believe that Hope has come to govern the Land of Hope. Therefore, it is expected that Imo people will no longer continue to hope, as this is the fulfillment of all our hopes. We are not going to ask whether the road will be good; it is good already as his surname, Uzodimma implies because there is something in a name. Hopefully, the long awaited hope, has come to fulfillment.

What is your advice for the people of Imo state?
I believe that Imo State is suffering from the same political problem Nigeria is having. If we think about political re-engineering and re-orientation, whereby when you talk about democracy, everybody should feel being carried along. And, the judgment has been passed, and unfortunately to some people, the Supreme Court put to rest every other discussions. Senator Hope Uzodimma is like a child of circumstance, a destiny child, because ordinarily, if the first is disqualified, the second would have taken the position. But unfortunately, you could see that the fourth now took the first position. So, my advice is that we should give him the support. Imo state is our own. There is nothing we can do about it.

As a stakeholder in Imo State, what do you think are the expectations of Governor Hope Uzodimma?
I want him to run an all-inclusive government, by carrying people along. He should be spiritual, think, seek advice and have an open door policy. He has the opportunity to still play his card and role well. He should not discontinue certain projects Ihedioha started. He should invite people and study the projects and anyone that is for the good and general interest of the people, he should adopt them. It has nothing to do with political party but about people of the state. Meritocracy should be his watchword. He should profile the people, those who have the merit, should be co-opted into the government. Those who have shown some pedigrees and have done well in their various fields, those who through their opinions or actions, have shown sincerity and honesty to work for the state, should be co opted. He has a history to make. He has history to make and therefore put party politics aside.

Many received the news of the removal of Ihedioha with shock, why was it so?
I will say that 100 percent of Imo people received the news with shock. Some had pleasant shock, while others were unpleasantly shocked because nobody saw it coming. Though many say it was played out of a written script by some powers, whether physical or spiritual, that is a different issue. All I know is that we were all taken by surprise. However, the Uzodimma we are talking about is a big fish in the field of politics, not a push-over. He also has his own followers. As we are talking, many of his opponents, including the House of Assembly members have come to pinch tent with him.

How do you see the alliance, especially that of Imo Legislators who were not members of APC with Governor Uzodimma?

Yes, we read that some Imo House of Assembly members from PDP, APGA and AA have joined APC that had no single member in the House. In fact, it is dangerous for such spontaneous alliance to take place. I wish it is for the good of Imo people. It is just like an enemy to your enemy becoming your friend.

What is your advice to Ihedioha concerning the issue?

Emeka Ihedioha should take it as an act of God, and should therefore go back to the drawing board. Believe me, within the next four years, if the people, out of sympathy, feel he was robbed, they will definitely bring him back. He is part of Imo State and should not cut off himself. He should try to show his relevance in the state, even in his private capacity and one-time governor of the state.

On what areas do you want Governor Uzodimma to focus for now?

Good road is for everybody, and it is a duty the government owes the people. The government of Ihedioha made Imo roads motorable and people are commending him for the palliative measures. That enhanced flow of traffic at major areas across the state. And, if he was able to do that within seven months, it means, he would have done more if given the opportunity. Therefore, Senator Hope Uzodimma should take the issue of roads in Imo State as his priority for now, followed by other projects and programmes.

SOURCE: SUN NEWS