TO WHAT EXTENT SHOULD COURTS BE ALLOWED TO DETERMINE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS?
As Congratulatory Messages Flow In For Former Central Bank Governor, Charles Soludo On His Victory At The Governorship Polls In Anambra, His Rival From The All Progressives Congress, Senator Andy Uba Has Rejected The Outcome Of The Polls.
Speaking On Uba’s Behalf, Ambassador Jerry Ugokwe From The Campaign Organisation Described The Outcome Of The Election As a Charade That Did Not Reflect The Wishes Of The People Of Anambra State.
Ugokwe Noted That Polls Were Fraught With Irregularies And Widespread Malpractices.
Quoting Him Now, He Said “Our Popular Candidate, Senator Andy Uba Is a Victim Of Widespread Electoral Fraud And Manipulation By INEC In Cohorts With The Willie Obiano Regime And The Security Forces Deployed To Oversee The Anambra State Governorship Election.
“The Elections Were Characterised By Widespread Irregularities, Intimidation And Voter Suppression In Order To Clear The Path For The Inglorious ‘Victory’ Of Apga In The Polls.
Andy Uba Came Third In That Election, After Polling 43,285 Votes - . Val Ozigbo Of The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Came Second With 53,807 And Prof Soludo Won By a Total Of 112,229 Votes.
But That’s Not The Issue – There Are Rising Concerns As To The Role Of The Courts In Determining The Final Outcome Of Elections.
For Instance In Imo – It Is Not Unfamiliar To Hear People Quip – ‘Supreme Court Governor’ In Reference To Governor Hope Uzodinma Who Had To Rely On a Supreme Court Ruling To Emerge As Governor.
Initial Result Released By The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Showed That Emeka Ihedioha Polled a Total Of 273,404 Votes, Uche Nwosu Of The Action Alliance Got 190,364 Votes, Ifeanyi Ararume Of The All Progressives Grand Alliance Polled 114,676 Votes While Uzodinma (APC) Got 96,458 Votes.
But Lead Judgment Read By Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Unanimously Agreed That Results In 388 Polling Units Were Unlawfully Excluded During The Collation Of The Final Governorship Election Result In Imo State.
Justice Kekere-Ekun Said With The Results From The 388 Polling Units Added, Uzodinma Polled a Majority Of The Lawful Votes And Ought To Have Been Declared The Winner Of The Election By Inec.
Even Here In Ekiti State – The Court Has Had One Time Determined The Fate Of Who Runs The Affairs Of The State.
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