Imo: Plans to use Justices who nullified poll for review unacceptable – HURIWA


A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Human Rights Writers (HURIWA), has raised the alarm over allged plans to use the AME Justices who nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo for review of the judgement.
Ihedioha had returned to the Supreme Court to seek a review of the judgment of the seven-member panel headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Muhammad Tanko, that declared Hope Uzodinma governor.

Addressing journalists, Wednesday in Abuja, the National Coordinator, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said it would be unfair to as the same justices to review a judgement the pronounced.
 “I am speaking on behalf of human rights activists. I am speaking on behalf of those who love constitutionalism and who love democracy. If this is done to Imo state, it can be done to any state. The Supreme Court cannot destroy democracy in Imo state. 


“We have just heard that the same panel that sat over that matter that unleashed a scale of injustice never seen before anywhere in the world, are scheming to be the same panel to sit over this matter. We want to take it as hearsay, but we want to say that if that is true, they should not even try it.
“It is just like asking a child who has failed to advance to the next class for a repeat. It is not the duty of those who have messed up the system to clean up the system in this instance before they are already biased.
“They cannot be allowed to review the mistake they have made. There are other people in that Supreme Court that can be constituted to do that. They would fight to validate the errors they have committed.”
According to him, “The Supreme Court has to look at this matter and reach a proper review of the matter and if possible correct themselves. Our concern is not who eventually gets it. Our concern is that the mistake that has been done must be corrected one way or the other and they must do it now because the eye of the world is on us.
“This would not be like other matters that they would say we would forget it. We would not forget this case as long as some of us are alive.”


Onwubiko threatened to launch a global campaign against the Supreme Court of Nigeria, stating, 
“If nothing is done, we are going to launch a global campaign against the Supreme Court of Nigeria. We are going to write to all relevant international bodies that link up with all the juries internationally.
“We are going to face the international community, because we know the body of judges has an international forum. We are going to approach the forum. We are going to launch a massive protest. We are going to enter the next stage if nothing is done.
“The application for review has merit. They should look at it. When I say it has merit, I don’t mean that the prayers that have been advanced must of necessity be granted. What I am saying is that the reason for going back to the Supreme is valid and should be addressed.”


He further stated, “Even if you belong to any party that is not the issue. The issue is that someone was declared as a winner of an election by a properly instituted institution that conducted the election and out of the blues another dubious result was tendered before the court.
“The people who have the authority to tender the results repudiated this result, but the Supreme Court validated an institutionally repudiated result, a dubious result to impose a governor on the people of Imo state.”

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