Declan Emelumba, the Imo State Commissioner for Information, has said the ‘Supreme Court governor” label ascribed to Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State, is a non-issue.
Uzodinma, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), finished in fourth position during the 2019 Imo State governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
But the Supreme Court had on January 14, 2020, while delivering a ruling on an appeal filed by the APC declared Uzodinma, the duly elected Governor of Imo State. According to the apex court, the results from 388 polling units were wrongly excluded from votes ascribed to Uzodinma and the APC in Imo.
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This has, however, not stopped political opponents and those aggrieved by Uzodinma’s sudden ascent to the governor’s seat taunting him by describing him as ‘Supreme Court governor”.
But speaking in an interview, Emelumba insisted that the jibes being thrown does not change the fact that Uzodinma is currently recognised by law as the first citizen of Imo State.
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According to the commissioner, the Supreme Court has always been the final arbiter with regards to elections in Imo State, noting that the circumstance surrounding the apex’s court ruling on Uzodinma is nothing new.
He added that the state cannot stop persons from being delusional in their thought about the occupant of the Government House, Owerri.
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“It is a non-issue, as far as I am concerned. What they forget is that there is no governorship election in Imo State that has not been determined by the Supreme Court,” Emelumba told the Punch.
“(Former governor Achike) Udenwa’s governorship was finally determined by the Supreme Court. That of (Ikedi) Ohakim was by the Supreme Court; ditto for Rochas’. So, the difference is that maybe, for the first time, somebody who was denied his legitimate votes got them restored by the Supreme Court.
“So, it is a non-issue. Those who want to delude themselves about it are free to do that if it makes them happy, but it changes nothing, absolutely nothing.”
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Emelumba also insisted that Uzodinma and Senator Rochas Okorocha, a former governor of the state, are not at loggerheads, despite the cold war situation between both leaders as portrayed by the media.
The Imo government spokesperson said his principal is only enforcing state decisions and has nothing personal against his predecessor.
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He said: “They are not at loggerheads. They don’t have any personal issues at all. What is happening in Imo State is that before the governor came on board, there were judicial commissions set up by the administration we took over from to look into both land use and related matters, contract awards and others issues. And the former governor happened to be indicted by this commission here and there, it’s a matter between him and the law, not him and the governor.
So, it cannot be a distraction. It’s just like any other citizen of the state having to go through the law to answer for some wrongdoing. It cannot be a personal thing with the governor, otherwise so many other people that are regularly charged in court, both high and low, for different crimes, will be a distraction to the governor.”
