- Urges FG To Withhold Allocations Over Fraudulent LG Election
The Peoples Democratic Party PDP, in Imo State has taken a swipe at the All Progressive Congress APC led administration in Imo State for accusing it of attempting to instigate violence in the state simply because the main opposition party is insisting that what was conducted in the state on September, 21, 2024 is in the guise of local government election is nothing but a sham that only resulted in the APC, in line with its criminal inclination of imposing hand picked stooges as Chairmen and Councillors in the various local government councils.
The PDP also urged that the federal government to henceforth, withhold allocations of the 27 local government councils in the state until credible, free and fair election is conducted in the state.
The party stated this in a release signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Lancelot Obiaku and made available to the newsmen.
The PDP said it is not surprised that the Gov Hope Uzodinma-led administration could shamelessly continue to claim that if has conducted L.G election, even when the entire Imo people and external observers saw for themselves that election did
The PDP also accused the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission ISIEC of being part of the fraud perpetrated by the Uzodinma administration pointing out that the leadership of ISIEC, alongside officials of the Imo State government ought to be facing the wrath of the law, under normal circumstances for electoral fraud and flagrant violation of relevant electoral laws.
The PDP faulted the State Government’s claim that it was a sore loser and stated that it also never demanded that its candidates be declared winners and will never do so. The party, however, said that it is only when an election is conducted that there can be winners and losers.
The opposition party said that it was obvious that the State government was only interested in embezzling the LG allocations that accrue to the State as it has always done, having allegedly entered an agreement with the appointed Chairmen to milk the LGAs and continue the impoverishment of Imo people.
Part of the Statement read: “We read the State Government’s drab reply to our earlier statement on the purported LG election and their roadmap to continue the embezzlement of local government allocations and the impoverishment of Imo people. All we could see in the incoherent article was the government trying to divert attention from the fact that the said LG election was not held, a knowledge common to all Imolites who experienced it firsthand.
We cannot be surprised. The government is already sitting on the foundation of fraud, falsehood, and deception.
“Funnily, they said that we asked that our candidates be declared winners. We cannot, as a responsible party, clothe ourselves with the garment of ignominy as the State government and Imo APC habitually do. There has not been an LG election in the State this year. All we are saying is that the election be conducted, only then are we going to have winners and losers. This does not just represent our position as a party, but also that of the entire people of the State. How does that mean instigating violence in the State?
“Adding weight to our position is the fact that the Nigerian Bar Associations (NBA) in Imo State houses legal practitioners of diverse political inclination a few days ago in a statement declared that local government election was not held in the State on September 21, 2024. Also, Chief Mike Ahamba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and one of the oldest and most respected legal luminaries described the entire charade as a “mere publication of names” in a recent interview with Saturday Vanguard.
“These reactions from Imo people of various strata and political divides prove that it was indeed an unprecedented madness in the name of an election. Imagine a situation where the ISIEC Chairman announced winners without the figure of votes scored by the alleged winners.
“Imo people have also watched as two days to the end of the filing window of election petitions after ISIEC’s announcement of APC members as LG Chairmen/Vice Chairmen and Councillors the Imo State Chief Judge has failed to constitute the Election Petition Tribunal in line with Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and the electoral Act of 2022.
“This is not only a deliberate attempt to deny aggrieved parties the opportunity to challenge the sham conducted on September 21; it further proves the nullity of the whole process as the Chief Judge also did not set up the pre-election tribunal before the purported election day. We insist that the APC impostors announced winners should steer clear of our local government council headquarters.
“Under normal circumstances, the APC impostors announced winners and their accomplices in ISIEC, and the government should be behind bars by now for their complicity in the electoral fraud and the insult to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Instead, they are proud and have already colluded with the State government to write off LG allocations and divert them to private pockets.
“We insist that the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance should, therefore, not credit any account in the name of the LGAs in the State in line with the Supreme Court verdict until a legally acceptable LG poll is conducted in the State”.
