Not
so long ago, one of the greatest and most influential African-Americans
in history, Malcolm X, uttered a touching quote and each time I look at
the turn of events in the Imo governorship tussle, it easily flows
through my mind. Even though the quote was made over 50 years ago, its
relevance to the travesty served on the people of Imo state is
unquantifiable.
The quote goes thus: “I’m for truth, no matter
who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a
human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and
whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
Quite profound and that
explains my disappointment with the manner in which the leadership of
Imo state has been decided for the next four years.
If the trend
of events that throw up Hope Uzodinma as governor is holistically
examined, it’s so obvious that truth and justice were debasingly raped.
That is the simple inference any objective mind would make from the
entire episode. It is something that should never happen, not to talk of
this digital age when the world has become a global village.
Initially,
the thought of review had raised hope of remedy for the glaring flaws
that were inherent in the earlier ruling of the country’s apex court,
but it all went to nought when the panel choose to preserve the error.
“The judgement of the Supreme Court is a finality,” Justice Olukayode
Ariwoola, who read the majority judgement that has Chief Justice Tanko
Muhammed as head of the panel, put the matter to rest.
The
implication is that even if a decision of the Supreme Court is fraught
with errors and controversies as the Imo governorship tussle has shown,
it must subsist because they are ‘final’. However, Justice Chima Nweze
disagreed with his colleagues as he concurred with Ihedioha’s counsel
that “Uzodinma misled this court (Supreme Court) into awarding him
victory.”
Perhaps, he was persuaded by the glaring
inconsistencies in the pleadings that awarded Uzodinma undue victory and
ordered: “Uzodinma should return his certificate of return to INEC
which shall reissue it to Ihedioha.” But he was alone in that decision
and his pronouncement, as profound as it seems, was, however, of no
effect.
Not even the analogy of Kanu Agabi, Ihedioha led counsel
that “when I was a child, my father will beat me to cry and also beat me
to stop. My Lord, please we’re crying and do not treat us like my
father did” could change anything. In the end, the status quo remains
and Imo people are stuck with Uzodinma for four years
Shortly
after the Supreme Court turned down Ihedioha review request, the media
went into a frenzy and different headlines popped up to catch the
attention of the reader. But I find some interesting, and at the same
disturbing. It is disturbing because many failed to weigh the long-term
implication of what happened and the bearing on electoral jurisprudence.
If
anyone assumes or conclude that Ihedioha was a loser going by the
outcome at the Supreme Court, that would be a huge mistake. True, he was
denied the mandate freely bestowed on him by Imo electorate but a
critical look will show that far from Ihedioha, the real loser is
justice.
That is because it is hard to reconcile, as pointed out
by Justice Nweze, that “Uzodinma cannot benefit from an election he
wanted to be invalidated”, yet, he is handed the governorship seat of
Imo state. That is, unmistakably, a knockout for justice and the people
of Imo who would have to stick with a governor that errors foisted on
them.
In my earlier article that was entitled ‘Imo: The people no
longer decide’, I posited that “for all the justified outrage that
trailed the manner in which Ihedioha lost out, one thing, and a
frightening reality that the Supreme Court judgement represents is that,
the people no longer decides.” I’m even more worried now than when I
first made that conclusion.
Right before us, we have a precedent
that would do no good in the future. It’s beyond Ihedioha because
justice, as it has ever been, is never about an individual, but
something that every society require for confidence and stability. Even
God cherished justice and admonished humans through the various Holy
books to always follow its path.
While the door of the courts is
forever closed on the Imo governorship tussle for the 2019 election
circle but the mind of Nigerians cannot be easily deflected away from
how the impossible became possible, not by facts but controversial
circumstance. This has come and gone, hopefully, we would not have
another reason to rue the loss of justice in the future.
Oke Umurhohwo is a Political Analyst and Strategist. He tweets via @OkeStalyf and can be reached via oke.umu@gmail.com
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