From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Chief Emeka Ihedioha, Imo governor removed by the Supreme Court, has accused Gov Hope Uzodinma of character defamation, warning he would no longer allow that to happen.
In a release by his media adviser, Chibuike Onyeukwu titled “When silence is not Golden”, which was made available to Daily Sun, Ihedioha accused Uzodinma of being responsible of a letter in circulation, purported to have been written by him (Ihedioha) to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, advising him not to honour the Appeal Court judgement that discharged and acquitted Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra so as not to imperil the 2023 elections.
Ihedioha said since his ouster by the country’s apex court, he had decided to keep quite for obvious reasons, but added he has decided not to keep silent again in the face of this “criminal defamation of my character”.
Ihedioha went further to say, “It is laughable and preposterous, knowing my background and predicament that I will be writing to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, asking him to continue to illegally hold on to Nnamdi Kanu even after a court of competent jurisdiction had discharged him.
“What benefits will such a letter confer on me in a matter of such public concern, sensitivity and volatility. How does that make sense?”, he queried.
“If anyone should be afraid of a free Nnamdi Kanu, it is Hope Uzodimma. The fact that he and fellow characters will concoct such a letter shows the level they are prepared to go in order to hang on to the power they acquired through dubious means.
“While Nigerians are aware that those who can forge polling results for manufactured votes can forge anything, I have decided not to keep silent again in the face of this criminal defamation of my character because as we inch closer to the 2023 elections, the evil machinations will intensify”.
Ihedioha, while warning he can no longer allow criminality to reign supreme, urged security agencies to investigate those behind the forgery and bring them to justice.