Just in: Another APC’s application forces S’Court to adjourn Imo ruling to Tuesday
The long awaited Nigerian Supreme Court ruling on a retrial application filed by former Imo State Governor, Chief Emeka Ihedioha and his party, the PDP billed for today, March 2, 2020, was again adjourned to tomorrow, Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Reason; Governor Hope Uzodinma’s counsel (Mr. Damian Dodo SAN) again filled another application this morning which also requires a reply from Chief Kalu Agabi SAN, Counsel to Ihedioha.
Whereas many followers of the matter including international observers from the EU and United States expressed fears of a deliberate delay tactics by the APC and Governor Uzodinma, Business Hilights Abuja Bureau chief recalls that on the 18th of February 2020 when the review was called up for the first time, Uzodinma’s counsel deliberately filled an application which needed a reply. Ihedioha’s counsel was given time to reply.
Legal experts say court applications are not something you reply orally. Rather, recipient are normally given time to go and reply from the points of law and back it up with already established authorities.
They averred that in law, if you don’t reply, it simply means you agree to what you were served. Learned Kalu Agabi SAN refused to fall to the trap.
Accordingly, chairman of the 7-man Supreme Court Panel, led by CJN Tanko Mohammed adjourned to tomorrow 3rd of March 2020.
However, another look at the build up to the matter is very important for people that are yet to understand the real issues for resolution by the apex court.
The former Governor, Chief Ihedioha, the PDP plus other legal experts picked computation errors and faulted sources of the results from the 388 polling units which the apex court had admitted and relied upon to recomputed the Imo guber results and gave victory to Chief Uzodinma based on the reason that the new calculation made him tops as the candidate with highest number of votes.
However, observers say if Hope was disqualified as an APC candidate by the Supreme Court, how then can the same Supreme Court make him governor as an APC candidate? For him to be governor, The Supreme Court would first reverse itself on his disqualification. But Hope has to first appeal for it to be reversed and he never did. Case closed. Now, Uche Nwosu was the authentic candidate for both APC and ACC, and was disqualified for double candidature. So both Uche Nwosu and Hope Uzodinma stand disqualified in Imo State governorship election. Emeka Ihedioha stands as the only candidate in that election.
Also, analysts argue further that for the Supreme Court to add voters who were not accredited by INEC is another terrible issue as the Supreme Court almost subsumed the job of INEC in the matter.
Just as the constitution permits only INEC to accredit voters and conduct elections, followers of the matter say the Supreme Court has to first provide the authority (which it doesn’t have) that allows it to accredit voters and conduct elections.
Also, the apex court has to prove when the accreditation of over 1200 plus voters took place, where and when. It has to also provide the breakdown of the 388 polling units, on how each candidate of the political parties performed. It didn’t do that before the judgment and cannot go back now.
Accordingly, the lead and foremost application of the PDP and Chief Ihedioha that the Supreme Court set aside it judgement that ousted him as governor remains before the eye of the law as only a decisive ruling is expected possibly tomorrow.
