The ongoing Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja on Friday, 24 May 2024 upheld Senator Hope Uzodimma as the Governor of Imo State.
The ruling at the tribunal setting in Abuja dismissed the petition filed by the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Athan Nneji Achonu challenging the victory of Senator Hope Uzodimma and the Candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC).
In a judgment without any dissenting voice delivered by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadabay and three other members of the tribunal panel, held that Senator Hope Uzodimma’s election and declaration, complied substantially, with the Electoral Guidelines of 2023 and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The Tribunal further held that the candidate of the LP, Achonu, approached the court to declare him the winner of the polls because Uzodimma’s victory contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act on the grounds of over-voting, election malpractice, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, failed to prove to the court the extent of these allegations.
Recall that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had on November 12, 2023, declared Senator Hope Uzodimma, the candidate of the APC as the winner of the November 11 off-circle governorship election in Imo State.
According to the results, the APC candidate polled 540,308 votes to win over his closest contestant, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 71,503 votes, while the LP candidate, garnered 61,081 votes to come third. The other 15 parties and candidates who also contested in the election did not average over 10,000 votes.
Not happy with the outcome of the election, the LP candidate, Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, approached the court to nullify Senator Uzodimma’s election based on the allegations of over-voting, non-compliance to the Electoral Act and Election Malpractices.
With this ruling by the tribunal, it is not clear if Senator Athan Nneji Achonu and the Labour Party are going to appeal the judgment.
