All roads lead to the premises of the Court of Appeal located at Okigwe road, Owerri, as Imo citizens troop in their numbers to hear the matter instituted by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC over the Imo Sate 2011 supplementary election, won by the incumbent Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, in the said election, had ran to the court to interpret if the said supplementary election met the rules that guide the governorship election in Nigeria, as stipulated in the constitution and the Electoral Act.
It would be recalled that the Imo State Governorship election of 2011 which took place on April 26, was pronounced inconclusive by INEC.
Another election was fixed for May 6, in the LGAs and Wards where elections could not take place on April 26.
In the end, INEC declared Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, winner.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its candidate, Dr Ikedi Ohakim challenged the result in the court, claiming that it won the April 26 election.
After the matter went through Tribunal up to the Supreme Court, Okorocha was in the end affirmed winner of the election.
But not certified with the whole scenario, ACN candidate, Senator Araraume went to Court of Appeal requesting that the election be cancelled and new one held, pointing out that the supplementary election which gave birth to Okorocha’s victory was novel toNigeria.
Therefore, it is this matter that is coming up today at the Court of Appeal.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that both Rochas Okorocha of APGA, and Ikedi Ohakim of PDP have joined in the suit since both are interested parties in the matter, having participated in the said election.
It was said that pressure have been pilled on Araraume to withdraw the case, as there is the apprehension that the matter looks dicey, since it is a constitutional matter.
Araraume, it was said, has refused all entreaties to withdraw the matter, pointing out that even if he does, the PDP, represented by its candidate, Ikedi Ohakim will not withdraw.
