On Monday, the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, received criticism from the Peoples Democratic Party for his assertions that the state’s high crime rate is due to political motives.
In a statement released by Collins Opurozor, the PDP’s press secretary in the state, it was claimed that Uzodimma’s poor leadership was to blame for the state’s continued instability.
The governor’s claim that the attack at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission was “politically manufactured by people who are desperate to win elections by whatever means” in the state drew a response from the main opposition party on Monday.
“The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State has examined the statement made by the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, in the wake of last night’s attack on the INEC office in Owerri,” the statement’s opening line said. He asserts that people who are determined to win elections at all costs politically staged the incident.
“To sum it up, this tainted and dishonest justification once again exposes Senator Uzodimma’s persistent failure to keep the people of Imo safe. The security of people’s lives and property is the fundamental promise of political governance, and the governor can no longer justify his failure to fulfill this promise.
“The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State has examined the statement made by the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, in the wake of last night’s attack on the INEC office in Owerri,” the statement’s opening line said. He asserts that people who are determined to win elections at all costs politically staged the incident.
“To sum it up, this tainted and dishonest justification once again exposes Senator Uzodimma’s persistent failure to keep the people of Imo safe. The security of people’s lives and property is the fundamental promise of political governance, and the governor can no longer justify his failure to fulfill this promise.
Imo PDP regrets that the valleys of Orsu, the forests of Orlu, and the rocky hills of Okigwe have now turned into safe havens for terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers who now make life miserable for the Imo people due to Senator Uzodimma’s lack of sincerity and genuine commitment to addressing the festering insecurity in the state.
“Our party maintains that the instability in Imo is purely and simply a result of the state’s disastrous failure to govern under the unpopular dictatorship of Senator Uzodimma.
Our party believes it is crucial to remind Imo residents and Nigerians that, prior to this most recent attack on the state’s INEC office, there had been other frantic attempts by those who gained power through a backdoor to undermine INEC’s ability to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in the State.
“First, through a covert court case brought in the State by the same usurpers, INEC came under a very harsh legal attack. They attempted to prevent the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) from being used because they believe it will thwart their plan to manipulate the upcoming elections.
In especially for Omuma Ward, where tens of thousands of fraudulent, foreign, and nonexistent identities and images were smuggled into the registration, the voter register was severely compromised by an attack on the INEC database. The Omuma Magic is what Nigerians now call it!
Not only is it significant that Senator Hope Uzodinma hails from Omuma, but it is also significant that the Imo government arbitrarily detained the INEC employees who were accused of exposing the massive voter registration fraud in Omuma.
“Our party, therefore, continues to denounce these legal, cyber, and physical assaults on INEC and requests that security agencies look further to determine any potential connections between the recent attack on the INEC office in Owerri and the ongoing covert legal action against INEC and earlier attack on the INEC voter register. Anyone convicted of one cannot claim innocence of the others.
“Our party calls on the people of Imo to show up in large numbers on Saturday, December 17, to welcome Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who will be in the state for the launch of our presidential campaign. As long as God is in charge, those who attempt to prevent Imo State from holding general elections in 2023 would undoubtedly meet with failure and the will of the Imo people will prevail.
