Imo State government has asked the federal government and the National Assembly to probe why and how Emeka Ihedioha was declared winner of the guber elections in 2019, which he didn’t win, after he and the PDP connived with others to compromise the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
It noted that although the Supreme Court had already declared Senator Hope Uzodimma as the rightful winner of the election, there was a need to probe the circumstances that led to Ihedioha’s declaration as Governor when he didn’t meet the Constitutional requirements.
Speaking during an interview with Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria , the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba said there was an urgent need for Nigerians to know who flagrantly abused the constitution and appropriate sanction meted to them.
According to Emelumba,” Section 179 of the constitution is clear how a candidate can be declared a governor. Subsection A of the section states that if the candidate has the majority of lawful votes cast in the election while subsection B states that if the candidate has not less than one quarter of votes cast in each of at least two thirds of all the local government areas in the state”.
He said going by the Constitutional requirements, Ihedioha did not get one quarter of votes cast in 18 LGs which is two thirds of the 27 local government areas of the state. According to him, INEC only declared him winner in 10 LGS, 7 short of the required 18 LGs, yet he was declared winner of the election.
He alleged that both PDP, Ihedioha and others, connived and compromised the electoral process by flagrantly abusing the constitutional requirements. “ This is a serious rape of the Constitution that should be investigated to know who the perpetrators are. It has never happened in this country before that someone who did not meet the Constitutional requirements is declared winner of a governorship election. It should not be swept under the carpet “
Asked if government was not satisfied with the Supreme Court judgment which restored Uzodimma”s victory, Emelumba said they were satisfied because justice had been served.
But in a situation where a thief is caught and the stolen object recovered from him and he still goes about shouting that something was stolen from him, there is need for an appropriate sanction” he said.
The commissioner further alleged that PDP and Ihedioha also colluded with INEC returning officers to omit the results of 388 units where APC won convincingly so as to get “away with this electoral heist of the century”.