Daniel Kanu
Disqualified Candidate of Action Alliance (AA) by the Supreme Court in the 2019 Imo governorship election, Uche Nwosu and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have asked the Apex Court to set a date for hearing PDP’,s application to return Emeka Ihedioha of the PDP as winner of the election.
Both Nwosu and the PDP expressed worry that 7 Months After, Supreme Court has refused to Hear the Application to Return Ihedioha as the governor.
It will be recalled that Seven months after the People’s Democratic Party applied to the Supreme Court to give effect to its judgment delivered on 20th December,2019, disqualifying Uche Nwosu from the Imo governorship election on the ground of double nomination, the apex court has refused or neglected to list the application for hearing.
The Supreme Court had in a judgment delivered on
20th December, 2019 found that Nwosu was nominated by both Action Alliance and the All Progressives Congress and consequently nullified his nomination.
However, in another judgment delivered on 14th January 2020 in SC/462/2019, the apex court without making reference to its earlier judgment referred to above declared Hope Uzodinma the winner of the election on the platform of the same APC that had been found to nominate Nwosu.
sponsoring two candidates for the same office in the same election.
Although the suit was filed on 9th of July, 2020, the apex court has yet to consider it for hearing.
Legal analysts reason that a political party is not capable of sponsoring two candidates for the same office in the same election.
This informed the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party to file an application at the Supreme Court seeking that its candidate, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha be declared the winner of the election since APC is precluded from sponsoring two candidates in the Imo State governorship election.
In the application filed on behalf of the PDP by Philip Umeadi, the party is asking the court to declare that the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma was not the candidate of the APC based on the court’s judgment that Nwosu was nominated by both the APC and the Action Alliance.
PDP is also asking the court for an order
enforcing or otherwise directing the enforcement and or giving effect to the judgement of the court in the case delivered on the 20th December 2019 wherein the court held that Nwosu was nominated by both APC and AA and consequently declared his nomination a nullity.
PDP is asking of the Supreme Court to hold that “both the Action Alliance (AA) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) did not sponsor and/or field any candidate for the governorship election held in lmo State on 9th March, 2019 in view of the double nomination of the Appellant/Respondent by the two political parties aforesaid, and his subsequent disqualification as their gubernatorial candidate, as found by the honourable court in the judgment delivered on 20th December, 2019.”
The party asked the court for an order sequel to the above that Senator Hope Uzodinma was not a candidate by himself or of any party at the Imo State Governorship election held on 9th March, 2019.
PDP also asked the court for an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Senator Hope Uzodinma.
It asked the court “for an order further directing the 4th respondent to issue a certificate of return to the gubernatorial candidate of the 3rd Respondent/Applicant, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and that he should immediately be sworn in as the governor of lmo State.
Although the suit was filed on 9th of July, 2020, the apex court has yet to consider it for hearing.