By: Nwakaji Peace Martins
The Imo State Governorship election tribunal yesterday unanimously dismissed the petitions lodged against the declaration of Senator Hope Uzodinma as the legitimately elected governor of the state.
In rejecting the petitions from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) due to lack of merit, the tribunal determined that the petitioners failed to meet the burden of proof.
Furthermore, the tribunal affirmed that the Imo State Governorship election that took place on November 11th, 2023, adhered substantially to the Electoral Act.
The tribunal concluded that not only did the petitioners not provide evidence of the alleged overvoting, but also the testimonies of the witnesses were deemed hearsay and lacked evidential value.
Contrary to the petitioner’s claims, the tribunal discovered that Senator Hope Uzodinma’s WAEC result was not forged.
Additionally, the tribunal dismissed the issue of non-qualification since the petitioners did not present the membership register of the APC, which the tribunal deemed fatal to their case.
Delivered by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, the tribunal’s ruling dismissed the cases brought against Gov. Hope Uzodinma by both the PDP and the LP on their merits. Senator Hope Uzodinma was declared the legitimately elected governor by INEC in the Governorship election after garnering the highest number of votes and winning in all 27 local government areas.
