IMO – The election of Rochas Okorocha as the Imo State Governor has been upheld by the Supreme Court in a judgment delivered on Friday January 24th 2014.
Governor Rochas Okorocha
In a previous move, the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division had ruled to join a former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, in the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Ifeanyi Araraume.
The Supreme Court reportedly said that the Court of Appeal erred in its ruling.
Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, who delivered the judgement, said the Court of Appeal erred in granting the former governor’s application. She described it as an attempt to bring back a matter which had been settled by an electoral tribunal that was properly set up.
The court lambasted Mr. Ohakim, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2011 governorship election in the state for engaging in endless litigation.
It can be recollected that Mr. Ararume had approached the lower court to determine if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was right in conducting supplementary election in Imo State on May 6, 2011 after the main election of April 28, 2011 could not produce a clear winner.
However, Mr. Ohakim and the PDP, sought to be joined as a party and the Court of Appeal obliged them. Also, Mr. Okorocha and his former party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, also asked to be joined, and were equally obliged.
Reacting to this, Mr. Okorocha, who has since defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, approached the Supreme Court to challenge Mr. Ohakim’s joinder.
Speculations abound as to whether Mr. Araraume, who has since returned to the PDP, will continue his case against Mr. Okorocha.
