..Urges Security Agencies to Investigate Imo Governor
... Promises to make more revelations on the compromised voters register
By Ibe Pascal,
Owerri
The Imo State Government on Friday accused the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party and a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, of “sponsoring” the spokesperson of Conference of United Political Parties, Ugochinyere Imo, against the state Governor, Hope Uzodinma.
At a press conference in Owerri, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, said that the allegation made by Imo against Uzodimma that the governor hacked into the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission to manipulate the voter registration data was mischievous.
He, therefore, called on security chiefs to immediately arrest the CUPP spokesperson for “false accusation against the state governor.”
The commissioner said investigation carried out by the government revealed that the PDP was behind the insecurity in Orlu just to discredit the state government.
He added that the opposition party was not comfortable with the successful hosting of President Muhammadu Buhari and the inauguration of projects executed by Uzodimma in the state.
“This is why we deem it necessary to call on the relevant security agencies to immediately arrest the said Ugochinyere to find out from him how he obtained the voters’ register he has been parading before the public even when the Independent National Electoral Commission is still at the stage of Automated Biometric Verification of the System, which must be concluded before an official voters register can be released to the public.
“Consecutively, it should be clear that the claim by Ugochinyere that there was fraudulent registration at Omuma, the ward of the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, could have only come from a jaundiced and mischievous mindset.”
Responding, the PDP spokesperson in the state, Collins Opuruozor, said it was laughable for the state government to call for the arrest of Imo.
Opuruozor said that neither the PDP nor Ihedioha was sponsoring the CUPP spokesperson.
“We have the Director of DSS in Imo State, the commissioner of police, the Commander of 34 Artillery Brigade Command, Obinze, and none of them has accused opposition members of being behind insecurity in Imo State.
“But let me say it that any attempt to clampdown on opposition will be counterproductive,” he said.
Electoral Register Fraud: Perish Thought of Attacking, Eliminating Ikenga Ugochinyere, Imo PDP Warns Uzodinma
The People’s Democratic Party in Imo State has warned governor Uzodinma to bury the thought of eliminating Ikenga Ugochinyere.
In a press statement by party’s public secretary in Owerri on Saturday, Collins Opuruozor warned that no attack, threat or harassment of Ikenga Ugochinyere by the failed regime of APC in Imo State will be tolerated.
He said, “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State is awed that, instead of bowing his head in shame over the recent discovery of unprecedented voters register fraud in Omuma, his village, the State Governor has proceeded to threaten fire and brimstone upon Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the Spokesperson of the CUPP and candidate of our great party for Ideato Federal Constituency, who unraveled the electoral heist.
“In a recent outburst, the State Government, through the Commissioner for Information, made statements, which by our verdict, have betrayed the Imo State Government’s intention to attack and possibly eliminate Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
Speaking further, Opuruozor said that apart from recommending that Ikenga Ugochinyere should be jailed for displaying such patriotism that has never been seen in modern Nigeria, he accused Governor Hope Uzodinma further soughting to drag PDP candidate into the insecurity miasma in Imo State.
“What is pressing to quickly state is that, by yet again politicizing the horrible security situation in the Imo and attempting to bring our candidate into it, our suspicion is further enriched, that the bloodshed in parts of Imo is willfully left to fester by the Governor so as to profit from it and destroy his perceived political foes.
“Imo PDP therefore warns that no attack, threat or harassment of Ikenga Ugochinyere by the failed regime of APC in Imo State will be tolerated.
Not a single hair shall fall from his head, not a scratch found on his body.
“For Imo PDP, it is sheer audacity in criminality for the Governor to still find his voice to issue threats, when by now he is supposed to be telling Nigerians his role in this treasonable offence which seeks to truncate our democracy.
“We commend the shrewdness and dexterity brought to bear by our candidate in exposing the monumental electoral malfeasance, and we are deeply elated that Nigerians and lovers of democracy all over the world are in sync with us in our demand for justice to be done in this matter and perpetrators of this sleaze brought to book.
“Nigerians must rise to defend our democracy. They must no longer sit back and watch Governor Uzodinma sabotage all the efforts made to advance the frontiers of democracy in the country through groundbreaking electoral reforms. What has happened with the compromise of the voters register is pure treason, and it must be known and treated as such.
“Our Party calls on security agencies to immediately place the Governor on security watchlist and commence painstaking investigations into his activities, as he has become a clear and present danger to our democracy and national security.
“It could be recalled that this Governor had boasted publicly that he came to power in Imo through the backdoor, or what he termed “The Ben Johnson Way”.
“Our Party urges Nigerians to resist Uzodinma’s latest contrivances to return to power through the same backdoor. To be sure, some INEC officials and security operatives who are in bed with Uzodinma must be wary and realize they are enabling a man who is determined to destroy the soul of our democracy.
“Imo PDP will be addressing a world press conference shortly to make more mind-boggling revelations about the massive voters register compromise in the state.
“Our charge to INEC in the meantime is to understand that this matter touches on the sanctity, integrity and credibility of our electoral system, and that the world is watching to see how the electoral umpire will clean up the mess.
