Breaking News: Former Imo Governor, Ihedioha Withdraws from 2023 Imo Guber Election, Says…

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By Izunna Okafor, Owerri

A gubernatorial aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, has writingly withdrawn from the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Ihedioha, who is a former governor of the State, announced his withdrawal in a letter dated March 27, 2023, and addressed to the leadership of the party in the state.

According to him, his reason for the withdrawal is for emergence of a consensus candidate under the Party, for the November 11 governorship race. His withdrawal is coming few days after he was screened and cleared by the PDP, which qualified him to join the Party’s primary election, ahead of the gubernatorial race.

Recall that Chief Ihedioha was dethroned from the Imo State Governorship seat by the Supreme Court in January 2020, barely seven months after he was sworn in as the Governor of the State.

The seven-man panel led by Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad unanimously declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 19, 2019 governorship election in the state.

The appellant, Uzodimma had contended that he scored the highest number of votes in the election but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned Ihedioha as the governor of the state.

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 apex 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 subsequently declared Uzodimma as the validly elected governor, and the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha was withdrawn by INEC and given to Uzodimma, who was consequently sworn-in in 2020, and has remained in the seat till date.

Former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha has withdrawn from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governorship primary in the South-East state.

The former governor was screened and cleared a few days ago by the PDP to contest the party’s primary ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Imo State.

However, in a letter dated March 27, 2023, Ihedioha informed the PDP leadership of his “personal sacrifice” for a “consensus candidate” by the party.

In January 2020, the Supreme Court sacked Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State after barely seven months in office.

The seven-man panel led by Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad unanimously declared Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 19, 2019 governorship election in the state.

The appellant, Uzodimma had contended that he scored the highest number of votes in the election but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned Ihedioha as the governor of the state.

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 apex 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 subsequently declared Uzodimma as the validly elected governor and the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha was withdrawn by INEC and given to Uzodimma.

More details later…

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