Imo politicians and interested parties are trooping to Abuja this morning to witness the out-come of the Supreme Court judgment on whether former Governor of Imo State, Dr Ikedi Ohakim’s application to be joined in the suit instituted by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will sail through.
The matter has lingered for over two years through adjournments, and there are indications that the ruling today will not suffer another set-back so that the matter can be trashed out as the general elections approach.
It would be recalled that Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, the Governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the 2011 Imo guber election had approached the lower court to determine if INEC was right in conducting a supplementary election in the state on May 6, 2011, after the first election on April 28, 2011 could not produce a clear winner.
The Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha asked to be joined in the matter as an interested party, which the court obliged him.
In the same vein, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in the said election, Dr Ikedi Ohakim prayed the court to join them, which was obliged both parties.
However, Governor Okorocha and his former political party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA appealed the ruling, which the Appellate Court threw out, affirming the Lower Court’s verdict in joining PDP and Ohakim.
Not satisfied, Okorocha and APGA headed to the Supreme Court to contest why Ohakim and PDP were joined by the Appeal Court.
However, the matter developed a new dimension last year, when it came up for hearing at the Supreme Court as APGA led by its National Secretary, Alhaji Sani Shikanfi withdrew from the matter with the reason that since Okorocha has left the party, it was no more interested in the suit.
ACN as a party also withdrew from the litigation, saying since the party has lost its identity by merging with other political parties to become All Progressive Congress, APC, it was no more part of the case.
This situation now left only Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as individual in the case. With PDP, Ohakim and INEC as the other parties.
However, as there is optimism in the Ohakim and PDP camps that the judgment of today will favour them, the Okorocha axis are also in happy mood that even if the Supreme Court affirms PDP and Ohakim’s joinder, there is still remains of the main case, which needed to be sorted out which may take more months, and more days for Okorocha in office.
But there are indications that after today, the Imo Guber matter would be accelerated, as it stands like a water shed to the Anambra election, where same supplementary election took place, but yet a subject of litigation.
Whatever be the situation, all those interested in the matter, especially Nigerian voters, want to know if Supplementary elections are authentic and in the constitution and electoral Act of Nigeria.
