Supreme Court’s explanation on Imo Guber: Eze Calls for Prosecution of INEC Officials
PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as most unfortunate and sad the protests organised by Prince Uche Secondus, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Peter Obi, immediate past Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP in conjunction with some other PDP leaders against the Supreme Court ruling on the Imo State gubernatorial election.
Describing the protest as flamboyantly idiotic, Chief Eze stressed that the huge sum expended on the wasteful venture would have been channeled on a life enhancement project to better the lots of her members whose relevance are only felt during protests and mobilisation.
“Asking the Supreme Court to reverse its judgement pronouncing Uzodima as the new and authentic Governor of Imo State and restore Ihedioha through protests is uncivilised, idiotic and laughable. Eze counsels these confused PDP Leaders to critically consider the wise stand of the late Justice Oputa who described the Supreme Court in these words, “We are final not because we are infallible, rather we are infallible because we are final and advise themselves accordingly”.
“They have by this uncivilized act tried to ridicule and bring the Supreme Court to public odium and destabilize the peaceful Imo State”, he added.
Eze commended the display of maturity and sense of understanding displayed by the elders and people of Imo State, averring that such diplomacy halted the confused leaders of PDP from succeeding to bring down the new administration in Imo State.
Eze counsels that now that the Supreme Court has explained why Uzodinma duly won the Imo Gubernatorial election and blamed the INEC and Iheddioha for its judgement, Secondus, Obi and PDP should formally apologize to Nigerians for this futile and unwise protests.
Eze highlighted that the apex court, according to a certified copy of the judgment published late yesterday by TheCable, “said while INEC argued the documents tendered by the APC candidate were falsified, it could not establish enough evidence to prove this. Having pleaded that the documents are false, the respondents made allegation of criminal nature against the appellants. They were required to plead the specific elements of fraud and lead evidence showing the genuine results. Not only must the allegation be proved beyond doubt, it must also be proved that the appellants personally committed the forgery or aided and abetted the commission of the crime or that they procured the commission of the crime through their agents or officials. Although they relied heavily on the assertion that exhibits PPP1 – PPP366 were fake, no evidence was adduced to prove the assertion at all, let alone beyond any reasonable doubt”
Now knowing that the Supreme Court cannot entertain any application on a case it has decided on, or reverse its judgment on a mere protest, the need for a formal apology by the PDP Leadership becomes imperative.
Eze opined that the INEC Officials that handled the Imo State general elections should not only be arrested but be prosecuted accordingly for announcing Emeka Iheidoha of PDP as winner of an election he never won. For INEC to conspire to rig the election in favour of PDP by excluding over 300 Wards result due to APC as most wicked criminal act that an Independence Electoral umpire can ever get itself entangled with. If these INEC Officials are not duly punished then it will be hard to have creditable elections under such people.
Eze finally described the PDP, AAC, APGA Lawmakers that have defected to APC as Heroes of our nascent democracy and urges the remaining Lawmakers that are still on the fence to make efforts to join the moving train before it leaves the station so that collectively we all can contribute towards emancipating, developing and creating an ideal Imo state to the chagrin of the enemies of the great Imo State.
