Supreme Court Judgement: Gov. Ihedioha Addresses Imo People

Emeka Ihedioha on Wednesday said that he did not agree with the Supreme Court judgment which sacked him as the governor of Imo State.

Ihedioha in a statement he personally signed, said that the apex court sacked him in contravention of the will of the people of the state.

He said that he fought against “principalities and powers” to remain as the governor of the state.

Ihedioha, however, said that he had submitted to the judgment which ousted him and had set the motion in place to hand over to the next governor of the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma.

He said he brought transparency, integrity, and accountability to bear in the governance of the state.

The former governor said that he had directed his aides to hand over government properties in their possession to the new administration, saying that he would not be a party to any pilfering of government property or funds.

He said, “I address you today, following recent developments affecting our dear state, and in particular the Supreme Court judgement of 14th January 2020. In my relationship with you as Governor of Imo, I had employed regular consultations and dialogue as a tool of political discourse. This informs this course of action.

“I am reporting back to you our great Imo people on the fate of the mandate you freely gave to me as Governor and Engr. Gerald Irona as Deputy Governor. This mandate has now been truncated and cut short by the Supreme Court, in contravention of the will of the people.

“We shall always cherish the tremendous goodwill and support you gave us as we grappled with setting up a new administration to rebuild a state that was devastated by bad governance.

“In the last seven months, we sought to elevate merit, unity of purpose, honesty, transparency and an inclusive approach to governance, as the hallmarks of our administration. We sought to restore once again, the pride and dignity of Imo people. We worked very hard to re-engineer the Imo renaissance. But God knows why he has allowed this current state of affairs.

“No doubt, yesterday’s Supreme Court verdict, came to us as a rude shock and surprise considering the facts on the ground, legal precedence and clear verdict of Imo People on March 9, 2019, that returned me as Governor with the highest valid votes of 273,404

“I do not agree with the judgement of the Supreme Court. I think it is unfair, unjust and does not reflect the voting that took place during the elections. It also didn’t take care of the sensibilities of the people of Imo State. But as true democrats, Engr Gerald Irona and I have no option but to respect the outcome of that judgement.

“Consequently, we have put machinery in motion to hand over the reins of office to the APC Candidate as the next governor of Imo State. This will be coordinated by the Secretary to the State Government. I, therefore, direct all members of Imo State Expanded Executive Council, and all political appointees to write their handover notes and to return all government properties in their custody, forthwith. I shall not be a party to pilfering of Government property or funds.