Supreme Court Judgment Contravened Will Of Imo People – Ihedioha

Emeka Ihedioha, the sacked governor of Imo State, has said the judgment of the Supreme Court regarding the litigation over the validly elected governor of the state was against the will of the Imo people.
Ihedioha said this in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday in reaction to his removal from office following the Supreme Court’s declaration of Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the legally elected governor of the state.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted that the mandate taken away from him was freely given to him by the Imo electorate at the March 9, 2019 governorship election.
“I am reporting back to you our great Imo people on the fate of the mandate you freely gave to me as Governor and Engr. Gerald Irona as Deputy Governor. This mandate has now been truncated and cut short by the Supreme Court, in contravention of the will of the people.
“In the last seven months, we sought to elevate merit, unity of purpose, honesty, transparency and an inclusive approach to governance, as the hallmarks of our administration. We sought to restore once again, the pride and dignity of Imo people. We worked very hard to re-engineer the Imo renaissance. But God knows why he has allowed this current state of affairs,” the statement read.
Ihedioha, a former deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, described the judgment as a “rude shock”, adding that he does not agree with the ruling of the seven-man panel of the apex court who unanimously declared his election as null and void.
He, however, stated that despite his disagreement, he will respect the judgment as an individual who believes in the principles of democracy.
“No doubt, yesterday’s (Tuesday’s) Supreme Court verdict, came to us as a rude shock and surprise considering the facts on ground, legal precedence and clear verdict of Imo People on March 9 2019, that returned me as Governor with the highest valid votes of 273,404.
“I do not agree with the judgement of the Supreme Court. I think it is unfair, unjust and does not reflect the voting that took place during the elections. It also didn’t take care of the sensibilities of the people of Imo State. But as true democrats, Engr Gerald Irona and I have no option but to respect the outcome of that judgement,” the statement read.
Ihedioha expressed his gratitude to God and appreciated the Imo people for the support they gave his administration during the eight months while he held sway as the governor.
He appealed to “all Imolites, especially our teeming supporters, to remain calm and to shun any action that is capable of resulting in a breach of the peace”.
He also urged all Imo residents to render the same support he enjoyed to Governor Uzodinma, reminding them that they only have one Imo State as their own.
Ihedioha advised his successor to continue on the path his administration had set for the rebuilding of our state in order to consolidate on the progress and milestones achieved in his eight-month stint.