The Labour Party has urged the Supreme Court to cancel the governorship election in Imo State and mandate a fresh election to restore public trust and uphold the judicial system’s integrity.
In a statement on Monday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, emphasised the importance of the Supreme Court acting decisively to uphold electoral laws and instilling confidence in the people.
He highlighted the clear evidence of over-voting, invalidating the election results according to the law.
Obiora said the Labour Party and its candidate in the November 2023 Imo State governorship election, Senator Athan Achonu, have one more chance to right the wrongs inflicted on Imo voters, who are currently subjected to a government they did not choose.
According to him, despite overwhelming evidence of over-voting, the court awarded the governorship to a candidate under questionable circumstances.
The Labour Party expressed regret that the election tribunal and the appeal court failed to apply the precise legal standard, instead choosing to validate an invalid and legally indefensible election result.
“This, the party argues, is not only a violation of the law but also a profound injustice to the people of Imo State, who deserve leadership that genuinely reflects their will.
“The party also highlighted significant obstacles faced by the petitioners in accessing crucial evidence, specifically the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) devices.
“Despite formal requests for over 4,000 BVAS units to support their case of electoral malpractice, the petitioners encountered deliberate delays and obstructions, with only 30 BVAS units provided, and even then, only for partial inspection.
The Labour Party stressed that the Imo State election occurred in only 4,720 out of 4,758 polling units.
“The party also pointed out that the state’s economic potential has been completely frozen, and the worst infrastructure development in the South East has been witnessed.
“Imo State is, therefore, looking to the Supreme Court to salvage the situation and restore sanity within its borders.”
