ABUJA- The Supreme Court of Nigeria, will on October 31, hear a motion seeking the enforcement of an order that should have disqualified the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Hope Uzodimma, from participating in Imo state’s governorship elections in 2019.
The motion, which was filed in July 2020, has just been scheduled to be heard on October 31, a startling delay of three years, which has many citizens worried about the sluggishness of the Supreme Court’s hearing process.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Action Peoples Party (APP) are asking the senior court to enforce its 2020 judgement that disqualified Uche Nwosu, then APC candidate, from contesting the governorship polls after it was discovered that he had been chosen as a candidate by two political parties, APC and Action Alliance (AA).
His double nomination was adjudged illegal by the apex court, which decided that he held onto two nomination forms from two political parties after his defection to AA.
It is on that ground that the PDP seeks the enforcement of APC’s disqualification in that the party cannot present two candidates, Messrs Nwosu and the incumbent governor Uzodimma, who is currently seeking reelection at the November 11 polls.
Per the 2020 judgement of the Supreme Court that disqualified Mr Nwosu found guilty of double nomination, the PDP said it understands that neither AA nor APC political parties had any governorship candidate.
The PDP claims that the court cannot turn around to accept Mr Uzodimma as the APC governorship candidate after it disqualified Mr Nwosu because he had two valid governorship tickets from the APC and AA.
“Both the Action Alliance (AA) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) did not sponsor and/or field any candidate for the governorship election held in lmo State on 9th March 2019 in view of the double nomination of the appellant/respondent by the two political parties aforesaid, and his subsequent disqualification as their gubernatorial candidate, as found by this honourable court in the judgment delivered on 20th December, 2019,” PDP stated in its motion filed by lawyer Adedamola Farokun.
The main opposition party prayed the senior court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return given to Mr Uzodimma and issue a new one to its candidate, Emeka Ihedioha, who scored the second highest votes in the 2019 polls.
