Supreme Court Upheld Okorocha’s Election
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria Apex Court has dismissed appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in the April 11, 2015 election in Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, against the election of Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The seven-man panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Justice John Fabiyi, held that Ihedioha’s appeal lacked merit and subsequently dismissed it.
Supreme court affirmed the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal in Owerri to the effect that Ihedioha’s failure to properly serve Okorocha his party, the All Progressives Congress, and other parties in the suit had robbed the Appeal Court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.
The court held further that failure to indicate the addresses of other respondents on the processes of the appeal was injurious to the case.
The immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, had appealed against the ruling of the Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which dismissed his petition on the grounds that it was incompetence and contravenes the electoral act.
The Court of Appeal on September 3, 2015 dismissed the appeal against the ruling of the tribunal.
Not satisfied, Ihedioha went to the country apex court, which now laid to rest contention about the April 11, 2015 governorship election in the state.