Gov Hope Uzodinma

The Supreme Court has fixed the 31st of October, 2023 to hear the case filed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), seeking the removal of Gov Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.

The hearing is coming three years after the party filed the application in July 2020.

APGA is contending that there ought to have been a fresh election in the state after the apex court nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In December 2020, the Supreme Court upheld a judgment of the court of appeal which nullified the candidature of Uche Nwosu as the governorship flagbearer of Action Alliance.

The court held that Nwosu was guilty of double nomination by having the ticket of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and AA.

Consequently, Nwosu withdrew his appeal challenging Ihedioha’s victory at the poll.

However, on January 14, the apex court voided Ihedioha’s election and declared Hope Uzodinma, who came fourth in the election, as the duly elected governor of the state.

APGA is contending that Uzodinma’s candidacy ought to have been nullified since the APC had given tickets to the governor and Nwosu.

The party said the Supreme Court did not rule on the validity of Uzodinma’s candidacy since it was not challenged by Ihedioha and the PDP in the appeal marked SC/1462/2019.

Counsel to the applicant, Stephen Nwoga stated, “In the eyes of the law, the absence of a duly and validly nominated/sponsored candidate by a political party as a constitutional precedent has made it imperative for INEC to conduct a fresh election in Imo state.

“Consequently, there is no decision of this court that has determined or established that Senator Hope Uzodinma is the duly nominated/sponsored governorship candidate of the APC in Imo State as stipulated by Section 11177(c) of the Constitution.”

APGA, whose candidate secured a total of 114,676 votes to come third in the 2019 governorship election, is praying the apex court to order a fresh election “excluding the APC and Action Alliance (AA)”.

Meanwhile, Uzodinma is seeking re-election as governor in the forthcoming poll slated for November 11.