The Tanko-led panel consequently asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a certificate of return to Uzodinma immediately.
The former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke has reportedly revealed that members of a seven-man panel of the Nigerian Supreme Court who declared a candidate who came fourth in the last Imo governorship election as governor have been denied visas to the United States.
SaharaReporters had reported that a seven-man panel of the Supreme Court led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Ibrahim Muhammad Tanko, on January 14, 2020, nullified the governorship election of Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State, declaring Hope Uzodinma as the rightful winner of the exercise.
The Tanko-led panel consequently asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a certificate of return to Uzodinma immediately.
The court in a unanimous decision held that Ihedioha did not win the majority of votes cast in the election.
Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the judge who read the judgement, ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha and give a fresh one to his APC rival.
“The votes due to the appellant, Hope Uzodinma and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from 388 polling units were wrongly excluded from scores ascribed to them,” she held.
“It is hereby ordered that Emeka Ihedioha, was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the said election. His return as the elected governor of Imo state is hereby declared null and void and accordingly set aside.
“It is hereby declared that the first appellant (Uzodinma) holds the majority of lawful votes cast at the governorship election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019, and has satisfied the mandatory constitutional requirement.
“It is hereby declared that first appellant, Senator Hope Uzodinma is the winner of the governorship of Imo State held on March 9, 2019.
“The certificate issued to the first respondent (Ihedioha) is hereby withdrawn. It is hereby ordered that the certificate of return shall be issued to the first appellant, senator Hope Uzodinma, forthwith and he should be sworn in as the governor of Imo state.”
The Supreme Court earlier declared that Uche Nwosu was the validly nominated candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 governorship election in Imo state, but voided his candidacy on the grounds of possessing a double ticket of the APC and Action Alliance (AA).
British-Nigerian lawyer, Ayo Obe in a tweet disclosed that the US had refused visas to those judges involved in the most bizarre judgement to attend a judges’ conference in the US, attributing the information to former Cross River Governor, Duke.
Obe tweeted on Wednesday, "Launching ‘A Stranger In Their Midst’, @Donald_Duke reveals that Judges who delivered a judgment that made “a candidate who came fourth the winner of an election” have been refused visas to attend a judges’ conference in the US.
"Their aides were given visas, but they were not."