A former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has dropped out of the South-East state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary.
The PDP recently screened and approved the former governor to run in the party’s primary before the Imo State governorship election on November 11th.
Ihedioha, however, informed the PDP leadership of his “personal sacrifice” for a “consensus candidate” by the party in a letter dated March 27, 2023.
After only seven months in office, the Supreme Court removed Ihedioha as governor of Imo State in January 2020.
Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressive Congress (APC) was unanimously declared the victor of the state’s March 19, 2019, governorship election by the seven-member panel chaired by Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad.
Uzodimma, the appellant, claimed he received the most votes, but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reinstated Ihedioha as the state’s governor.
According to the judgment’s author, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Uzodimma’s votes should be added to those that were improperly omitted from the 318 polling places.
The top court determined that the lower court erred in its decision after considering the arguments of a key witness who had been summoned to give results.
The certificate of return issued to Ihedioha was subsequently withdrawn by INEC and given to Uzodimma after Justice Kekere-Ekun declared Uzodimma to be the governor who had been legitimately elected.
