Imo guber poll: Finally, Ihedioha files petition against Okorocha

After weeks of speculation and rumour surrounding the next line of action for the Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following their loss of the governorship seat to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the PDP governorship candidate and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha has filed a petition before the Elections Petitions Tribunal in Owerri, challenging the re-election of Governor Rochas Okorocha for a second term.

Ihedioha had earlier inferred that the people’s votes did not count, alleging conspiracy between the APC and the INEC. Continue...

The lawmaker had cited the alleged arrest of more than a dozen personnel of INEC in Imo, who he alleged conspired with the APC to manipulate and change the results of elections already declared in favour of PDP.

“Also, in spite of the public confession of an INEC Returning Officer who was forced at gunpoint to declare false results in favour of the APC in the gubernatorial election, despite several arrests of fully armed men impersonating police officers and recorded inducement of INEC staff at Government House, Owerri on the eve of the elections as captured in photographs, audio and video recordings by local and international observers and in spite of the proven widespread incidents of swapping of PDP votes in favour of APC, all of which eroded the validity and credibility of the exercise, INEC had gone ahead to declare the APC candidate as the winner,” he stated.

Ihedioha, through his lead counsel, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), is praying the court to declare him winner of the election or alternatively cancel the said election and conduct a fresh governorship poll in Imo State.

Responding, Sam Onwuemeodo, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Governor Rochas Okorocha dismissed Ihedioha’s petition as inconsequential.

In a statement, he maintained that Ihedioha and the PDP exhibited the highest level of impunity and brigandage during the said election, in an effort to thwart the wish of Imo people but their rigging machinery failed.

According to Onwuemeodo: “It is even surprising to believe that Ihedioha would ever think that he could beat Governor Okorocha in an election in Imo State. On what ground could that happen? In any case,we shall meet him at the tribunal.”