{"id":113823,"date":"2024-08-12T23:11:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T22:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=113823"},"modified":"2024-08-12T23:11:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T22:11:36","slug":"why-were-asking-s-court-to-cancel-imo-guber-polls-lp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/why-were-asking-s-court-to-cancel-imo-guber-polls-lp\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we\u2019re asking S\/Court to cancel Imo guber polls \u2013 LP"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Labour Party (LP), has explained its renewed demand for the cancellation of the results of the 2023 Imo Governorship election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).<\/p>\n

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, at a media briefing in Abuja, on Monday, said its search for justice is in the greater interest of the people of Imo State and democracy.<\/p>\n

Ifoh said, \u201cThe importance of justice in the governance of Imo State cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n

\u201cLabour Party and its candidate in the November 2023 governorship election in Imo state, Senator Athan Achonu have one more chance in the Supreme Court to right the wrongs meted to the Imo electorates who are forced to tolerate a government they never wished for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecall, also that in 2020, Imo state was a victim of controversial decision that dramatically altered the political landscape of the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite clear evidence of over-voting, which should have led to the cancellation of the election, the court handed the governorship to a candidate in the face of over voting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese decisions in both 2020 and 2023, not only contradicted the principles of fairness and transparency but also set a dangerous precedent that undermines the integrity of our electoral process.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we approach another Supreme Court judgment, the question of over voting rears its head again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it scales through again, it means that over voting will become an unwritten law of electoral jurisprudence in Imo state.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is therefore imperative that the Supreme Court corrects this miscarriage of justice. The future of Imo State\u2019s development hinges on the rule of law and the public\u2019s trust in our judicial system.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\u201cA just and fair resolution in the current case before the court will not only restore confidence in our democracy but also pave the way for genuine progress and development in Imo State.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people deserve a leadership that truly reflects their will, and the time for justice is now. \u201c<\/p>\n

Giving insights into why the party took the matter to the highest court in the land, Ifoh said, \u201cFirst, the integrity of the electoral process is the cornerstone of any democracy, and in Nigeria, our electoral laws are designed to ensure that the will of the people is accurately reflected in election outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, in the case of the recent Imo State governorship election, these laws were blatantly disregarded by both the election tribunal and the appeal court, leading to a grave miscarriage of justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issue at hand is clear: the total number of certified accredited voters for November 2023 governorship election, as certified by INEC, was just over 500,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, the total votes counted, which was used to declare the candidate of APC winner exceeded 700,000, resulting in an over-voting discrepancy of more than 200,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had raised this issue during the election as we had clear evidences of abuse of electoral practices including falsification and mutilation of result sheets, harassment of the Labour Party\u2019s agents, snatching of ballot boxes and open vote buying.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to Section 53 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), any election marred by over-voting should be canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis provision is unambiguous and does not leave room for alternative interpretations. The law was crafted to protect the sanctity of the electoral process and ensure that elections are free, fair, and reflective of the voters\u2019 true choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegrettably, despite the overwhelming evidence of over-voting, both the election tribunal and the appeal court failed to apply this clear legal standard.<\/p>\n

\u201c Instead, they chose to validate an election result that is fundamentally flawed and legally indefensible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just a violation of the law but also a profound injustice to the people of Imo State, who deserve a leadership that genuinely reflects their will.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation is eerily reminiscent of the Supreme Court\u2019s controversial decision in 2020, where a similar issue of over-voting was overlooked, leading to the installation of a candidate who had initially placed third.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch judicial oversights undermine public confidence in the electoral system and threaten the very foundations of our democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Supreme Court now has the opportunity to correct this injustice and restore faith in our legal institutions by upholding the law as it is written\u2014clear, unambiguous, and without room for further interpretation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn yet another clear instance of miscarriage of justice, the petitioners in the Imo State governorship case faced significant obstacles in accessing crucial evidence, specifically the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) devices.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite making formal requests for over 4,000 BVAS units, which were essential to prove their case of electoral malpractice, the petitioners encountered deliberate delays and obstructions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly 30 BVAS units were eventually provided, and even then, only for partial inspection.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf utmost importance is that fact that the Imo State election took place in only 4,720 out of 4,758 polling units in Imo State.<\/p>\n

\u201cLabour Party has also noted that the direct implications of these rape on democracy could be the inability of the Imo citizens to submit and subject themselves to the present government which they believe was imposed on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LP Spokesman described the last four and half years of the Senator Hope Uzodinma administration as a disaster.<\/p>\n

He reiterated that the socio -economic crises in the state assumed a dangerous height under his rule.<\/p>\n

Ifoh maintained that under his rule, criminality has become the order of the day and the economic potentials of the state have completely frozen and the state has the inglorious record of being the worst in terms of infrastructure in the entire South East.<\/p>\n

Speaking on what Imolites and the Labour Party expect from the court, Ifoh said, \u201cThe Supreme Court is expected to act decisively and uphold the electoral laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the clear evidence of over-voting, which invalidates the election results according to the law, the Court should order the cancellation of the flawed election and mandate a fresh governorship election in Imo state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis action is essential to restore public trust and uphold the integrity of the judicial system.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Labour Party (LP), has explained its renewed demand for the cancellation of the results of the 2023 Imo Governorship election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":113686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy we\u2019re asking S\/Court to cancel Imo guber polls \u2013 LP - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/why-were-asking-s-court-to-cancel-imo-guber-polls-lp\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why we\u2019re asking S\/Court to cancel Imo guber polls \u2013 LP - 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