The Imo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, in its ruling on Friday, upheld the victory of Hope Uzodimma as the Governor of Imo State.
The tribunal, which issued its judgment in Abuja, also dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its governorship candidate, Athan Achonu. Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay who led the three-member tribunal panel, affirmed that Uzodimma’s election as Imo State governor substantially complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act. Additionally, the tribunal ruled that the Labour Party failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate its claims of overvoting and non-compliance with electoral laws.
In the gubernatorial election held last year, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Uzodimma, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner. Uzodimma secured 540,308 votes, defeating his closest rival, Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 71,503 votes. Athan Achonu, the LP candidate, came third with 64,081 votes. None of the other 15 candidates managed to amass more than 10,000 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Athan Achonu approached the court, seeking to nullify Uzodimma’s victory, alleging electoral irregularities in certain areas of the state.
