The Former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has withdrawn his interest to contest for the party’s governorship primary election in the state.
Mr. Ihedioha was earlier cleared by the party, to contest in the primary, a few days ago.
The governorship election in the state had been scheduled to hold on the 11th of November, 2023.
However, the former governor of the state, in a letter dated 27th of March, 2023, informed the leadership of the PDP, of his “personal sacrifice,” to settle for a “consensus candidate” by the party.
Ihedioha as a former governor of the state was sacked by the Supreme Court in January 2020, barely seven months in office, as the number one citizen of the state.
The seven-man panel, led by Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad, unanimously declared the candidate of All Progressives Congress, Hope Uzodimma, as the winner of the March 19, 2019 governorship election in the state.
Mr. Uzodimma had contended at the appellant court, that he scored the highest number of votes in the election but the Independent National Electoral Commission, returned Ihedioha as the governor of the state.
However, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who delivered the judgment, declared that the votes due to Uzodimma were unlawfully excluded from the 318 polling units and should be added to his votes.
The supreme court considered the submissions of a principal witness, who was on a subpoena to present results, and held that the lower court was wrong in its ruling.
Justice Kekere-Ekun thereafter affirmed Uzodimma as the validly elected governor of the state, and the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha was withdrawn by INEC and a new one was issued to Uzodimma.
