Ihedioha survives removal as Imo governor

The newly elected Governor of Imo State, former Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, has survived removal and conceding his electoral victory to a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Senator Sam Anyanwu.

The survival followed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State, which dismissed a suit challenging the nomination of the newly elected Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the March 9 elections.

The presiding judge, Justice Tijani Ringim, dismissed the case on Thursday, noting that the suit filed by a governorship aspirant of the PDP and lawmaker representing Imo East senatorial district, Senator Sam Anyanwu, lacked proof.

Justice Ringim held the plaintiff has not convinced the court with cogent reasons on the demands he made before the court. The judge maintained that the lawmaker was unable to justify his claims before him.

Senator Anyanwu had approached the court seeking to nullify the nomination of Ihedioha as PDP candidate in the governorship election in Imo State.

The senator demanded the court to declare him as the authentic winner of the PDP governorship primary in the state that held on October 1, 2018. The lawmaker claimed that the primary election that produced the governor-elect was marred with over-voting and thuggery, among other irregularities.