The Neo Africana Center (NAC), a public policy think tank, has expressed delight with the Supreme Court’s decision to reexamine its December 20, 2019, ruling regarding the 2019 Imo State governorship election.
Unresolved concerns surrounding the election caused political unrest and instability in Imo State, which ultimately resulted in Emeka Ihedioha’s unjustifiable removal from office as governor.
In particular, Uche Nwosu was found guilty of double nomination by the Supreme Court in its ruling on December 20. Nwosu had emerged as the Action Alliance’s (AA) and the Progressives Congress’ (APC) nominee for governor.
The Supreme Court declared him unable to run for office as a result of his double nomination. The political parties whose tickets he held naturally withdrew from that election as a result of his declaration.
Jenkins Udu, the Center’s Director of Public Affairs, stated in a statement that the party finds it hard to comprehend why the APC, a political party that has been disqualified from an election due to double nomination, would be given another candidate for the same contest.
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The intriguing aspect of the ruling on January 14, 2020, was how Hope Uzodinma was misrepresented as the APC candidate in the same election. According to the think tank, if the Supreme Court had followed through on its earlier ruling from December 20, the absurdity of January 14 would not have happened. It has so applauded the court for taking another look at the situation in the hopes that justice, despite the fact that it has been delayed in this case, should not be rejected in the end.
Part of the statement says this: “Since the governorship election on March 9, 2019, Imo State has seen a volatile turn of events, we at the Neo Africana Center have watched the political developments in the state with great interest. We do not avoid discussing topics that tend to take attention away from our main goals as a group whose major areas are democracy and good governance. The truth is that since Emeka Ihedioha was wrongfully removed from office as governor of Imo State on January 14, 2020, the political climate in Imo has been extremely difficult. The illegal jump in the judgment in question is what worries us in this case.If the Supreme Court had followed through on its decision to disqualify a certain Uche Nwosu from the governorship race due to double nomination in its ruling from December 2019, it would not have been required. Therefore, it is encouraging that the court has chosen to take another look at the matter, fully aware that its decision from December 20 has been up in the air.We are grateful that the Supreme Court recognizes the importance of following decisions logically and makes sure that important rulings are not disregarded.
“Although Imo State will have new elections as soon as possible, it is still imperative that the unresolved concerns surrounding the 2019 exercise be addressed. If the divisive problems are not resolved, the ghost of 2019 will haunt Imo State’s upcoming election.
“We think that the election scheduled for November 11, 2023, is not as significant as the judgment scheduled for December 5, 2023. Its main significance will be to guarantee that, despite the fact that justice in this case has been postponed, it shouldn’t be completely rejected.
Therefore, we implore the Supreme Court to proceed with this case as planned. Justice for the people of Imo State will be served by a clean sweep of the Augean Stable in the run-up to the governorship election on March 9, 2019.
