The former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has said he has nothing but pity for those celebrating the Supreme Court judgment that sacked him as chief executive of the state.
Ihedioha said that the judgment was more about the country’s democracy than himself, especially as it had become obvious that both the judiciary and the electoral system were on trial.
The former governor stated this, yesterday, in Abuja, when members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) paid him a solidarity visit.
The Supreme Court had last Tuesday sacked Ihedioha as Imo State governor and ordered the swearing-in of Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of the state.
However, Ihedioha described the judgment as shocking both to himself and several others across the country, as it was never anticipated.
He added that his ouster as governor of Imo State by the apex court remained a mystery, noting that “the elections in Imo were closely monitored, well-advertised and everybody in Nigeria followed it through. The results were very clear, the electoral umpire still has the results.”
He spoke further: “It is not about Emeka Ihedioha. It is not about Imo State. It is about the future of our country and democracy. It’s about what do we do tomorrow. I am calm and we are calm, and that is why you see in Imo, there is calmness. The calmness is coming out of shock and disbelief. It is coming out of the fact that people are saying, ‘let us still see, can this be possible!’ We are waiting for answers and I believe there will be answers.
“This is not the time to celebrate. I pity anyone who is celebrating that sad event. If anyone is celebrating, that person is not a student of democracy. Our forefathers worked so hard to get us to where we are, and that is indisputable. So at a time like this, what are we bequeathing to the future generation?
“Our children are asking questions that have not yet been answered and the facts speak for themselves. I hope they will be addressed. It is a redefining moment, it is a time for sober reflection, because to my own understanding of lawmaking, it is about precedence, it is about reference, and so we need to be guided on how to move forward.”
