The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to the Federal High Court Abuja on Wednesday 20th March, 2019 asking the court to compel INEC to issue him with a Certificate of Return as the senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/296/2019, Rochas Okorocha argued that INEC lacked the statutory powers to withhold his Certificate of Return as he was validly elected to occupy the senatorial seat.
Rochas Okorocha urged the court to declare that the electoral body acted in error when it refused to recognise him, even after the returning officer had declared him the winner. INEC was cited as the sole defendant in the suit filed through his team of lawyers led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kehinde Ogunwumiju.
The presiding judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, Taiwo Taiwo, has fixed April 5 to commence hearing on the matter. Taiwo Taiwo also granted the prayers of an application that was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate, Jones Onyeriri and that of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Osita Izunaso. Messrs Onyeriri and Izunaso who were joined as interested parties in the matter and were subsequently listed as 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.
Gov. Rochas Okorocha was declared winner of the Imo West senatorial election held on 23rd February, 2019. During the declaration, the presiding officer, Francis Ibeawuchi, however, said he was forced to make the declaration under duress. Based on Francis Ibeawuchi, statement of having declared the election under duress that the electoral commission removed Gov. Rochas Okorocha’s name from the elected senators’ list and said it is reviewing the situation in the district before they can made an official statement on whether Gov. Rochas Okorocha was truly the winner of the election.
During the award of the Certificate of Return to the Senators, on 14th March, 2019, Gov. Rochas Okorocha was absent at the INEC presentation of certificates of return. He suggested that the commission might have been preparing a special event to issue him his certificate of return. But INEC had however responded by saying there is no special ceremony prepared for anybody whose name did not appear on its list of successful candidates in the 2019 general elections.
