The lingering Imo state Governorship supplementary election of May 6, 2011 is taking another dimension as the incumbent Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has dragged his predecessor Dr Ikedi Ohakim, and the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to the Supreme Court Abuja over the matter pending at the Court of Appeal.
It was learnt that Okorocha proceeded to theApex Court, to challenge the decision of theAppeal Courtfor hearing the prayers of Ohakim and PDP to be joined in the suit instituted against the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, by Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, the Governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, in the said election.
The matter at the Supreme Court may resume anytime from now and will look into whether it was proper for Ohakim and his party PDP to be joined in the INEC versus Araraume case.
However, legal commentators are wondering why Okorocha headed to the Supreme Court for this clarification, when it is apparently clear that he was not the plaintiff in the main suit, as he only sought to be joined, because he was an interested party in the Supplementary Election.
It would be recalled that the plaintiff in this matter is Senator Ifeanyi Araraume who went to Court of Appeal to challenge the Supplementary election of May 6, 2011, which INEC announced Okorocha as winner.
Ifeanyi Araraume is praying the Court to cancel the supplementary election, as according to him it did not meet the regulation of the Electoral act.
Therefore, as an interested party, having participated in the said election, Governor Okorocha sought to be joined and was granted the application.
Subsequently, Ikedi Ohakim and the PDP also made same request and were granted the application.
It is in view of this application granted atAppeal Courtfor Ohakim and PDP that Okorocha has headed to Supreme Court.
However, legal observers in this matter told this Newspaper that the case has taken a new shape following the application by the INEC to present more evidences in the supplementary election.
The fear is that no one knows what these new evidences from INEC would be, and may change the entire matter.
Judiciary pundits are saying that Okorocha’s latest suit at theApex Courthas the capacity to stall Appeal Court proceeding and buy him more time to strategize.
But when will this 2011 Imo Governorship imbroglio be finally settled, only time will tell.
