Senator Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has received the Certificate of Return from the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, as the governor-elect of Imo State.
Uzodinma was awarded the certificate on Wednesday, barely 24 hours after the Supreme Court nullified the election of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of the state.
Also Read: Supreme Court sacks Imo Governor Ihedioha
In a very brief ceremony at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, the National Commissioner in charge of (South-South), May Agbamuche-Mbu, said the exercise was in line with the Supreme Court verdict which puts the responsibility on the INEC to retrieve the Certificate of Return in the hands of the former holder and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Emeka Ihedioha.
Uzodinmma, who was full of praises for the Judiciary for restoring his “stolen mandate”, received his Certificate of Return at exactly 3:15pm accompanied by members of the APC.
Speaking with reporters after receiving the Certificate of Return, Uzodinmma said that he promised never to let down the people of Imo State who he said are in urgent need of quality leadership.
The Imo governor-elect had come a distant 4th in the election result announced by the INEC on March 9, 2019.
The Supreme Court, however, granted Uzodinmms’a appeal by restoring his votes in 318 polling units that the INEC had curiously left uncaptured.
Many in the APC welcomed the Supreme Court judgement, arguing that the decision of the apex court was final and cannot be faulted.
They argued further that Imo governor-elect would have won election from the start if his votes had been properly counted.
Uzodinmma is expected to be sworn in any time soon.
