The Labour Party has announced its decision to challenge the victory of Governor Hope Uzodimma in the Imo State governorship election at the Supreme Court.
The party alleges bias in the judgments of the tribunal and Court of Appeal, which upheld Uzodimma’s win.
LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, on Monday, stated that the party had requested to review over 4,000 BVAS units to prove electoral malpractice but faced deliberate delays and obstructions, with only 30 units eventually released for inspection, according to the PUNCH.
The party argues that there was clear evidence of over-voting, with the total votes counted exceeding the certified accredited voters by over 200,000.
They cite Section 53 of the Electoral Act 2010, which states that any election marred by over-voting should be cancelled.
The LP expects the Supreme Court to uphold the electoral laws, cancel the flawed election, and mandate a fresh governorship election in Imo State to restore public trust and uphold the integrity of the judicial system.
According to him, only 30 BVAS units were eventually released for inspection thereby frustrating their case.
He said, “The Supreme Court is expected to act decisively and uphold the electoral laws. Given the clear evidence of over-voting, we expect the court to cancel the flawed election and mandate a fresh governorship election in Imo State. This action is essential to restore public trust and uphold the integrity of the judicial system.
“The issue at hand is clear. The total number of certified accredited voters for the November 2023 governorship election, as certified by INEC, was just over 500,000. However, 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.
“We had raised this issue during the election as we had clear evidence of abuse of electoral practices, including falsification and mutilation of result sheets, harassment of the Labour Party’s agents, snatching of ballot boxes and open vote-buying. According to Section 53 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), any election marred by over-voting should be cancelled.
“This provision is unambiguous and does not leave room for alternative interpretations. Regrettably, despite the overwhelming evidence of over-voting, both the election tribunal and the appeal court failed to apply this clear legal standard. The situation is eerily reminiscent of the Supreme Court’s 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.”
