Imo: Again Uzodinma Gives Anyanwu, Achonu, Technical Knock Out As Supreme Court Affirms Him Duly Elected Governor

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, on Friday, gave his opponents in the November 2023 Imo Governorship Election, a technical knock out for the fourth time, beginning from the day the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared him winner of the Election.

Uzodinma had won the election in an unprecedented landslide. He defeated his opponents in all the 27 Local Government Areas of the State.

Surprisingly dissatisfied, given the huge defeat, the Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party, LP, dragged Uzodinma to the Governorship Election Tribunal, alleging all kinds of things.

As expected, Uzodinma trounced them. Not satisfied, they proceeded to the Appeal Court, where he, again, trounced them.

Still not satisfied, both Candidates proceeded to the Supreme Court.

Finally, on Friday, August 23, 2024, the highest Court in the land kicked the appeals by both men out, and dismissed them as without merit.

The surprise is not that Uzodinma dealt Anyanwu and Achonu a fatal blow at the Election, Governorship Tribunal, Appeal Court and Supreme Court, the surprise is that both men had the temerity to challenge the victory. Given the situation of their parties, everybody knew that their journey to the election was going to be fruitless.

For PDP’s Anyanwu, over 50% of his Party men and women were against his candidacy. They were rooting for the Rt.Hon. Emeka Ihedioha who suddenly quit the race for Anyanwu.

And for Achonu, he had no footing at all. Until a couple of weeks to the election, not many people knew exactly who the LP candidate was between him and another LP member who claimed ownership of the ticket.

The Imo State Governorship election was an off-season election held in November, 11, 2023.

In challenging Governor Uzodinma’s victory, Anyanwu and Achonu cited  substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act and malpractices among others as reasons.

The five-man Supreme court panel which unanimously upheld Governor Uzodinma’s election, dismissed the appeal against him as lacking in merit.

All the issues raised in the petition ,were also resolved in favour of the Governor ,by the panel led by Justice Mohammed Baba Idris.