25% Spread: Ihedioha’s Legal Albatross
Though it may not augur well with the majority of the Imo people, who generally perceive PDP’s victory as balm for their groans purportedly inflicted by the alleged ‘familiocracy’ of the Rochas' government. However, the reality of the matter as it concerns the electoral outcome of the just concluded gubernatorial election suggests that the process is yet to settle, that is if it going to be constitutionally looked at. And this is one lacuna the major opposition may cling unto to balkanise the celebrated outcome. Section 179 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution (as amended), in providing the framework for the governorship process, stipulated that for a candidate to be declared as validly elected for the position of governor, the person must have a clear majority and must have at least 25% of the votes cast across two-third of the local governments. From the results reeled out by INEC, PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha garnered the highest numbers of votes cast, thus fulfilling the first