Imo: Ihedioha Waxes Biblical As He Disagrees With Supreme Court Verdict

Former Imo governor Emeka Ihedioha has said the Supreme Court judgment which declared Senator Hope Uzodinma as the duly elected governor of Imo state came to him as a “rude shock”.

Ihedioha said this in his official reaction to the nullification of his victory in the March 9, 2019 Imo governorship election by the apex court.

Ihedioha, who noted he disagrees with the judgement of the Supreme Court, however took solace in the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 in the Holy Bible which says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”.

He said, “The judgment did not reflect the wishes of the people as expressed on election day; it is unfair.

“I do not agree with the judgment because it did not take care of the sensibility of the people, but my Deputy, Mr Gerald Irona, and I, have no option but to accept the outcome of the verdict.

“No doubt, yesterday’s judgment came to us as a rude shock considering the facts on ground, the legal precedence and the people’s mandate,” he said.

He said he had put machineries in motion to hand-over the office to Uzodinma as the next governor, adding that the hand-over would be coordinated by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Uche Onyeaguocha.

The former governor urged all his political appointees to write their hand-over notes and also return all government property in their custody, saying “I shall not be party to pilfering of Government property or funds.”

He said that he would always cherish the support he got in the last seven months, adding that he sought to elevate merit, unity of purpose and transparency and inclusive approach to governance.

Ihedioha further stated that he restored dignity to Imo by setting a new roadmap for good governance which reversed its negative trajectory within a space of seven months.

“It is significant to note that Imo was looking good again; we were declared the least corrupt state in Nigeria and the state with the fastest growing economy,” he said.

He said he ran a good race, fought battles and governed the state well, and regretted that the court truncated his mandate.

“We step aside with implicit faith in the Sovereign Lord who reigns over the affairs of men,” Ihedioha added.