By Ndubuisi Ugah, 03.01.2009 (Awka)

National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, at the weekend said the Appeal Court ruling, which faulted the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the April 14, 2007 Imo State gubernatorial election, believed to had been won by the APGA candidate, Mr. Martins Agbaso, has vindicated the party’s position that INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, lacked the moral competence to conduct any election in the country.

Umeh, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos, said it was an “erosion of authority” for somebody like Iwu to still remain in office, given the public outcry that has trailed agitations for his removal from office. “If we evaluate all these things, you will see that Maurice Iwu has nothing left for him to hold onto as a record that will justify his continued stay in office. Even the highest position in the land, the presidential election survived by the whiskers through tight split four-three decision by the Supreme Court.

result of public policy but not based on the facts of the election. Even the four justices who ruled in favour of Yar’Adua, had to come heavily against INEC. So on a paper balance, you will see that it has become a national consensus that Maurice Iwu has failed as the chief electoral officer of this country,” Umeh said. It would be recalled that the Appeal Court on Thursday, ruled that the power exercised by INEC in cancelling the April 14, 2007 gubernatorial election in the state was challengeable in law court. Based on this, the appellate court, therefore, assumed jurisdiction on the annulment of the election by asking the electoral body and the sitting governor, Chief Ihedi Ohakim, to appear before it on March 23 to defend the election cancellation.

But Umeh, who dismissed insinuations that the Appeal Court jurisdiction of the election, was a mere flash in the pan, maintained that what the appellate court had done was to prove that Agbaso was “wrongly robbed of his electoral mandate to the people”, which according to him, was the handiwork of Iwu, who had never hidden his displeasure at his leadership in APGA. On the controversy trailing Iwu’s removal, Umeh said “it is very unfortunate and regrettable that in democracy, somebody who has been roundly condemned by the Nigerian people has postured that he can never be sacked and he can never resign. He has not found any reason why he should resign. That goes to show you that our democracy is operating on a very wrong framework”.