BY LEVI JOHNSON
If the invitations and mobilizations from the Eminent Leaders’ Group were to be honoured by some notable eminent Nigerians to monitor Imo State Supreme Court judgement review slated for tomorrow (Tuesday), then the case would be described as next to none in the history of Nigeria judicial system.
The Supreme Court will resit tomorrow to review the judgement that sacked Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State on January 14 and installed Hope Uzodinma as governor-elect.
Elder statemen expected to monitor the Imo gubernatorial Supreme Court Judgement review on Friday include Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka; Prof Ben Nwabueze (SAN), former Head of State, Gen Abdusalami Abubakar (retd.); Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Bishop Mathew Kukah and Dr Kalu Idika Kalu.
Others are Solomon Asemota (SAN); Prof Pat Utomi; Dr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN); Mr Femi Falana (SAN); Senator Shehu Sanni; Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Dr Oby Ezekwesili; the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association and the international community among others.
The Eminent Group described the aforementioned delegates as leaders of conscience.
Dr Olusegun Obe, the spokesman of the group disclosed this during a press statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
The group, however, commended the apex court for its decision to review ruling on the election which it claimed has raised serious questions about the present state of the nation’s judiciary.
Obe said: “The decision of the apex court to review its earlier ruling is a sign of maturity and openness by the judiciary that will go a long way to calm frayed nerves and douse the heightening political tension in the South East and the country at large.
“The group also hails the international community and concerned eminent Nigerians for their diplomatic vigilance and interventions respectively on the worrisome Supreme Court’s judgment on the 2019 governorship election in Imo State, a ruling which has since caused ripples among Nigerians over the survival of democracy and peace in South-East and Nigeria at large.”
Recall that the decision to review the judgement was reached on the grounds that the results from 388 polling units were excluded when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the final result of the poll in 2019.
Ihedioha had later filed the appeal on the heel of protests by supporters of the PDP, demanding the review and reversal of the judgement by the apex court.
In their quest to reclaim the governorship seat, leaders of the main opposition party organised a protest across the country.
The demonstration in Abuja was led by the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, and other chieftains of the party.
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Leaders of the PDP also called on the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union to prevail on the Supreme Court to reverse its judgement on the Imo State governorship election.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has asked the Supreme Court to strike out the application seeking to review its judgment on Imo governorship election that declared him the winner of March 9 election.
