Hope Uzodinma

Hope Uzodinma
Senator for Orlu Zone (Imo West)
Assumed office
May 2011
Preceded by Osita Izunaso
Personal details
Political party People's Democratic Party (PDP)

Hope Uzodinma is a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator for the Imo West constituency of Imo State, Nigeria, in the April 2011 federal elections. He ran on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform. His election was challenged on the grounds that he was not the valid PDP candidate, but on 5 May 2011 the supreme court declared that his election was valid.[1]

Early political career

A report in 2001 said that Chief Uzodinma had a business empire spread across the country. He had the ceremonial title of Onwa-Netiri Oha of Omuma in Oru local government of Imo State.[2] Uzodinma was a PDP chief in Imo State and friend of the Governor Achike Udenwa until late 2002. At that time he decided to run for Governor himself in the April 2003 elections, and decamped to the Alliance for Democracy (AD), becoming their candidate for the Imo State gubernatorial election. He was unsuccessful, and in February 2004 was readmitted to the PDP.[3] Uzodinma was a competitor in the PDP primaries for Imo State Governor in December 2006, coming a close second to Senator Ifeanyi Araraume.[4] Uzodinma was appointed a member of the PDP Board of Trustees. He was among those who endorsed the bid by Ikedi Ohakim to run again for Imo Governor in 2011 after Ohakim had returned to the PDP.[5]

In testimony to the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Commission of inquiry in July 2001 it was alleged that Uzodinma had been involved in attempts to transfer money from the National Maritime Authority to the former military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar.[6] In 2005 it was alleged that Dere Awosika, a close associate of the first lady Stella Obasanjo, had been involved in award of fraudulent contracts to herself and to Hope Uzodinma, a friend of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Awosika and Uzodinma's companies were said to each have received mobilization fees of two hundred and fifty million naira. Uzodinma was said to have refunded part of the mobilization fee due to mounting pressure from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.[7]

On 10 February 2009 the EFCC arrested and detained Uzodinma.[8] A public petition to the PDP on 10 December 2010 on behalf of a group claiming to be indigenes of Orlu gave reasons why Uzodinma should not be selected as Senatorial candidate. It said that in 2005 Springbank Plc lodged a complaint with against him with the EFCC for fraudulent diversion and obtaining money under false pretences. The EFCC had filed charges, which had not yet been cleared. It also asserted that his company Transurb Technical Consult Ltd was effectively bankrupt.[9]

Senatorial election

Uzodinma won the PDP primary for the Imo West Senatorial race on 9 January 2011, gaining 2,147 votes, while the incumbent Senator Osita Izunaso came second with 891 votes.[10] However, on 5 February 2011 a Federal High court declared that Izunaso was the candidate of the party for the senatorial seat since Uzodinma had not been cleared by the PDP’s electoral panel headed by Orji Nwafor-Orizu.[11] It seems that Nwafor-Orizu had been influenced by the December 2010 petition.[10] The judge ordered the PDP to submit Izunaso's name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate who had received the most votes among those qualified to run.[12] A Court of Appeal issued a stay of execution on 17 March 2011 while the case was being decided, leaving Uzodinma free to campaign.[13] On 5 April 2011 the Court of Appeal upheld the 5 February high court judgement and declared that Uzodinma was not qualified to run and should not represent himself as a candidate.[14] Uzodinma appealed this decision with the Supreme Court.[15]

In the 9 April 2011 elections, Uzodinma received 85,042 votes, ahead of former Imo Governor Achike Adenwa of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with 64,228 votes and Rajis Okpalan Benedicta of the All Progressives Grand Alliance with 57,110 votes.[16] On 5 May 2011 the Supreme Court overturned the earlier decisions and declared that Uzodinma was the valid candidate and therefore had been elected.[1] The decision was influenced by the minutes of a 5 January 2011 meeting of the PDP's National Working Committee that was attached to the April appeal to the Supreme Court. The meeting had overruled Nwafor-Orizu's decision to disqualify Uzodinma and rejected the December 2010 petition, saying "there was no evidence that Chief Hope Uzodinma has been convicted for murder, armed-robbery, obtaining money by false pretense and or for bankruptcy".[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Mebrim Uchechukwu (6 May 2011). "Imo West - Uzodinma Floors Izunaso". Daily Champion. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  2. ↑ Christian Ita; Pius Anakali (2001-08-05). "Igbo Vote: Can These Men Deliver?". ThisDay. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  3. ↑ "Why Udenwa, Obi, shunned Uzodinma's readmission into PDP". BNW News. February 26, 2004. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  4. ↑ ADAOBI NNEKA IFEBI (December 19, 2009). "Hope Uzodinma adds one more year". NBF News. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  5. ↑ "Imo Coalition Of Political Parties Endorses Ohakim For 2011". The News Africa. November 15, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  6. ↑ Ahamefula Ogbu, Lillian Okenwa; Julcit Sanda, (July 20, 2001). "News Report". This Day.
  7. ↑ Jonathan Elendu; Sowore Omoyele (21 December 2005). "Trouble For Stella's Friends". Elendu Reports. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  8. ↑ Ali M. Ali (11 February 2009). "EFCC Arrests Hope Uzodinma". ThisDay. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  9. ↑ "Petition in respect of Hope Uzodinma for Imo West Senatorial District". The Lagos Times. December 10, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  10. 1 2 3 George Agba (6 May 2011). "Imo West - Uzodinma in, Izunaso Out". Leadership. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  11. ↑ Gowon Emakpe (May 6, 2011). "Supreme Court declares new senator-elect for Imo West district". Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  12. ↑ Gele Agbai (7 February 2011). "Court disqualifies Hope Uzodinma". Nigeria Newspoint. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  13. ↑ "Supreme Court confirms Chief Hope Uzodinma's Candidacy". Announcer Express. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  14. ↑ "IMO WEST: UZODINMA NOT A CANDIDATE - COURT OF APPEAL". NBF News. 14 Apr 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  15. ↑ "Imo west senatorial dispute: court affirms Izunaso's candidacy, Uzodinma heads to Supreme Court". Channels TV. April 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  16. ↑ "Collated Senate results". INEC. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.