The Labour Party contends that the final vote count exceeded the number of accredited voters by over 200,000, a discrepancy they argue is clear evidence of over-voting and electoral malpractice.
The Labour Party (LP) has escalated its legal challenge against Governor Hope Uzodimma’s victory in the November 11 Imo State governorship election to the Supreme Court.
The LP alleges bias in the judgments of both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier upheld Uzodimma’s win.
LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, announced the party’s decision at a press conference in Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the election winner, with Uzodimma securing victories in all 27 local government areas and amassing 540,308 votes.
LP’s candidate, Athan Achonu, finished third with 64,081 votes, behind Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 71,503 votes.
The Labour Party contends that the final vote count exceeded the number of accredited voters by over 200,000, a discrepancy they argue is clear evidence of over-voting and electoral malpractice.
Ifoh claimed that despite repeated requests, only 30 of the over 4,000 BVAS (Biometric Voter Authentication System) units were made available for inspection, hindering their ability to substantiate claims of electoral fraud.
Ifoh criticized both the election tribunal and the appeal court for failing to uphold electoral laws as outlined in Section 53 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), which mandates cancellation of elections marred by over-voting. He called for a fresh governorship election in Imo State, emphasizing the need to restore public trust and uphold the judicial system’s integrity.
The LP’s challenge recalls a similar situation in 2020, where alleged over-voting led to a controversial Supreme Court decision favoring a candidate who initially placed third.
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