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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has reiterated that there was no election on September 21, and that the purportedly elected 27 local government chairmen and 305 councillors are mere impostors, imposed on the people by the Senator Hope Uzodimma-led APC government.
The party alleged that the so-called chairmen and councillors remain an illegal assembly, being used by their paymaster to undermine ‘our democracy’ and the rule of law, and to further oppress the already traumatized people of Imo by siphoning local government allocations.
It claimed that it had intercepted intelligence regarding an alleged deal by the Uzodimma administration that require each of the newly sworn in 27 chairmen to return more than 70 percent of the local government allocations accruing to their LGAs to the state government’s coffers and that the Governor had allegedly forced them to sign their resignation letters in advance in case of failure to comply.
In a statement by Lancelot Obiku, state publicity secretary, the party said it has also alerted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to the alleged plot by the state governor to divert the Local Governments allocations.
“We also alert these agencies as well as the judiciary, to the failure of the state’s Chief Judge to constitute an election tribunal fourteen days before the agreed date for the LG election to receive pre- and post-election petitions. Furthermore, in blatant violation of the Electoral Act, the ISIEC allowed the APC to submit its candidates just two days before the election.
“All of these are credible evidence that the so-called election was null and void. If any party and candidates were qualified to be declared winners under any circumstances, it must be the PDP and its candidates, who met all the requirements and submitted their nominations within the legal timeframe. The Accountant-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance must 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.
“The Imo PDP, therefore, insists that Uzodimma’s purportedly elected Chairmen and Councillors should not approach the LG Councils and must cease parading themselves as such, as doing so is an insult to democracy and the intelligence of the people of Imo,” the statement said.
