FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
– Imo Diaspora Coalition for Justice and Democracy (IDCJD) Launches “Operation Do the Math” (ODM)
– Calls on the President Buhari’s Government and the Judges of the Nigerian Supreme Court to Reverse and Restore Ihedioha’s Mandate or Face International Sanctions
New York, NY. January 29, 2020 – Imo Diaspora Coalition for Justice and Democracy (IDCJD) today announced the launch of “Operation Do the Math,” (ODM), an international campaign to force the Supreme Court of Nigeria to review& reverse the ridiculous Imo State Governorship Elections judgement of January 14, 2020, where the court declared a person who was not a candidate in an election the winner, based on the addition of uncertified votes. IDCJD – a premier international public policy advocacy organization of Imo Citizens, southeast Nigeria in the United States and around the world.
“Operation Do the Math” seeks remedy for the recent JUDICIAL FRAUD AND MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE BY THE NIGERIAN SUPREME COURT, in the annulment of the election of our duly elected popular Governor Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State of Nigeria, and the imposition of Senator Hope Uzodinma, a proxy of Nigeria’s ruling political party- All Progressive Congress (APC).
The Supreme Court decision of January 14, 2020, has been widely criticized by scholars, experts, analysts, pundits, and commentators, for inconsistencies and contradictions. However, the ODM initiative will;
– Focus on creating global awareness on the inexplicable emerging facts showing that the Supreme Court of Nigeria, failed to do a thorough simple mathematical computation of the results of votes cast at the Imo State Governorship Election, on March 9, 2019.
– Reach out, through our local chapters, and take our case against this injustice across the world, to enroll strategic interests such as the United Nation, United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Heads of States and elected officials, the commonwealth, European Union, human rights groups, civil society, Christian and media organizations- including the CNN, BBC, VOA, Aljazeera, NBC, Fox News, New York Times, Washington Post and others.
– Facilitate and/or sponsor programs or events-seminars, symposia, conferences and discussions to enhance awareness
– Against the background of its bizarre judgment, Invite the following diplomatic missions, developmental partners and/or international interest groups to observe the Supreme Court review of its decision, namely; Germany, Italy, U.S.A, Canada, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea, Holland, Brazil, U.K, France, India,.ECOWAS, Africa Union, African Development Bank. (AfDB). African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM Bank), European Union, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), German (GIZ), USAID, British DFID. The World Bank Group and the United Nations (UN). 1/3
–
On March 9, 2019, during Nigeria’s gubernatorial elections held in Imo State Nigeria, the incumbent APC Party candidate, Hope Uzodinma lost in this highly Christians concentrated enclave to a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), candidate, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha.
Official figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), results were as follows;
i. Accredited voters is =823,743.
ii. The total valid votes cast is = 714,355
iii. Rejected votes = 25,130
iv. Total votes cast (Line 2 Plus 3) is = 739,485
The top four candidates received the following number of votes:
v. Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha (People’s Democratic Party-PDP) = 273,404 votes
vi. Mr Uche Nwosu (Action Alliance -AA) = 190,364 votes.
vii. Ifeanyi Ararume (All Progressives Grand Alliance- APGA) = 114,676 votes
viii. Hope Uzodinma (All Progressives Congress- APC “Moslem Party”) = 96,458 votes
On the basis of the above, the INEC declared Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha the winner.
However, thereafter all the losers went to court, with Hon Ihedioha sustaining his win at the tribunal, and again at the appeal court. Then at the Supreme Court, something strange and yet inexplicable happened.
The Supreme Court accepted previously tendered and INEC rejected 213,699 votes from Mr. Hope Uzodinma, the fourth-placed candidate which was adjudged to be fake and unreliable by the trial Tribunal and concurred by the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court added these fake votes to the official INEC declared votes for Hope Uzodinma of 96,458 to give Mr. Uzodinma the winning votes of 310,153.
But in a haste to gain foothold in this Christian enclave of Imo State, through their proxy Mr. Uzodinma (a notorious character who had been indicted by a Presidential Task Force on fraud for diverting over $11m meant for dredging a government sea port-channel.
Mr. Udodinma also currently has a bench warrant for his arrest issued by an Abuja Magistrate Court for issuance of N200 million naira dud cheque amongst other criminal infractions) they forgot simple Arithmetic.
When that whole fake results were added without adjustment to other figures, it brought the total votes cast to 928,054, which is not only higher than INEC declared total valid votes cast of 714,355 but the total number of accredited voters of 823,743 for the election.
Yet, the Supreme Court in a bizarre judgment awarded more votes to the fourth-placed candidate, that inflated total votes cast above the number of voters, and made him the winner. When confronted in private, two of the justices said, “we were under instructions”
This flawed judgment may have also upturned settled legal principles, over the years, with grave economic consequences for Nigeria. If not reversed. It shifted the onus of proof of authenticating or validating of forged evidentiary materials or documents not on a responsible statutory agency, in this case, INEC, but on the respondents, while giving benefit of the doubt to the presenter of the forged document.
Under such climate, in a country where corruption is endemic, this lack of recognition of a statutory controlling authority to authenticate documents, may cause distrust of official Nigerian documents, collapse investors’ confidence, crater Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), Diaspora remittances and consequently skyrocketing joblessness, crimes and insecurity.
To, therefore, prevent any lasting effect of this miscarriage of justice by Nigeria’s Supreme Court we are calling on people of good conscience to call on the Court to immediately reconvene, and re “DO THE MATH” and restore the peoples duly elected popular Governor of Imo State, Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha!
Failure to effect reversal would leave us no option but to aggressively canvass for a wide ranging punitive economic sanctions and Visa ban, on the Supreme Court justices, all executive level political appointees of the Federal Government and members of their families.
# # # #
Contact:
Profesor Eddie Oparaoji or Chijike Ndukwu
631-358-5041
idcjdworldwide@gmail.com
447 Broadway, 2nd Floor #380 New York, NY 10013