legal moves to sack Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State from office has peaked as the Supreme Court is expected to fix hearing date anytime soon in a motion filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This followed recent developments that have accelerated the legal process with parties to the political litigation having activated their briefs and submission for the legal questions in dispute.
Daily Sun findings revealed that all the parties have filed some additional processes in relation to the motion filed last year and that the PDP, through its lawyer, Phillips Umeadi, recently filed a fresh document, requiring the Supreme Court to set the case down for hearing.
Specifically, information at the court’s registry revealed the motion by the PDP, in which it is praying the Supreme Court to reverse its decision sacking Emeka Ihedioha is now ripe for hearing because some processes were recently filed by some of the parties.
Listed as respondents to the motion on notice, filed by the PDP in an earlier appeal by Ugwumba Nwosu, marked: SC/1384/2019 are: Nwosu, the Action Peoples Party, Uche Nnadi and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It is PDP’s contention that it was wrong for the court to declare Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo State after disqualifying Nwosu from contesting the election on the grounds that he allowed himself to be nominated as the governorship candidate of both the Action Alliance (AA) and APC for the same election.
In the motion before the apex court, the PDP wants the court to declare that both the AA and the APC did not sponsor any candidate for the election in view of Nwosu’s double nomination by the AA and APC and his subsequent disqualification by the court in its judgment given on December 20, 2019
The PDP also wants the court to order that Uzodimma was not a candidate by himself or of any political party at the election; and to order INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to him.
The party is equally praying the court to order INEC to issue a certificate of return to its candidate in the election, Emeka Ihedioha, “as the duly elected governor of Imo State, having scored the second highest number of votes in the said election sequel to the judgment of this court in Appeal No: SC/1462/2019 – Uzodimma and another v. Emeka Ihedioha and others delivered on January 4, 2020.
It is further praying the court to issue an order, directing that Ihedioha be immediately sworn-in as the governor of Imo State.
Credit: Daily Sun