: CURT RULES OUT IMO TRIBUNAL OVER ROCHA'S OKOROCHA

>
> The governorship tussle between Governor
> Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives
> Congress (APC) and former deputy speaker of
> the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka
> Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party
> (PDP) was finally laid to rest at the Supreme
> Court in favour of the incumbent.
> Delivering judgment on the matter, the court
> unanimously dismissed the appeal challenging
> Okorocha's victory by Ihedioha for lacking in
> merit.
> In doing so, the apex court affirmed the
> judgment of the Court of Appeal in Owerri
> delivered by Justice Ejembi Eko to the effect
> that Ihedioha's failure to properly serve
> Okorocha and his party, the APC, had robbed
> the Appeal Court the jurisdiction to hear the
> case.
> The court at the same time dismissed
> Ihedioha's challenging Okorocha's election..
> The full panel of the court presided over by
> Justice John Fabiyi, further held that failure
> to indicate the addresses of other respondents
> on the processes of the appeal was fatal to the
> case.
> Ihedioha had appealed against the ruling of
> the Imo State Governorship Election Petition
> Tribunal on July 22, which dismissed his
> petition on the grounds that it was
> incompetent.
> Meanwhile, Okorocha has applauded the apex
> court for dismissing Ihedioha's appeal
> challenging his victory.
> "For respecting and endorsing the electoral
> and civic rights of Imo people to choose who
> would govern them, we shall continue to hold
> the judiciary in high esteem because that arm
> has continued to earn the confidence of Imo
> people," Okorocha said.
> The governor also thanked Imo people for
> their support and prayers which have seen
> him victorious from the tribunal to the
> Supreme Court.
> He called on Ihedioha to join hands with him
> to make Imo better.