The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Imo State chapter, has debunked claims allegedly credited to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, government accusing the opposition party of aiding and abetting the spate of insecurity in the state. The party, however, warned that it would no longer take those hateful allegations by Uzodinma and his aides lightly again as it would be compelled to challenge the APC government legally.
In a press release made available to newsmen in Owerri, by Mazi Emenike Nmeregini, Acting State Publicity Secretary of Imo PDP, the party declared that its leaders are law-abiding and responsible citizens who “can never embark on actions capable of jeopardizing the safety and lives of Imolites”.
Referring to two media reports recently trending on some social media platforms, captioned: “Imo PDP Called to Order” and “Uche Onyeagocha and Akwarandu should be held if anything happens to Imo Sons and Daughters” credited to some groups, the party said that the allegations were erroneous and considered to be largely frivolous, flippant and contemptuous.
He said: “The unsigned press releases were evidently sponsored by Senator Hope Uzodinma-led APC government to build trumped-up charges against the leaders of the major opposition party in the state, the PDP in order to intimidate, oppress and silence them from holding his unpopular administration accountable to the people of Imo State and to conceal his gross incompetence”.
According to the party, “the persistent horrendous state of insecurity in Imo leading to serial bloodbaths clearly shows a dripping lack of capacity on the part of APC government led by Uzodinma to guarantee safety and security of lives and property of Imo people, instructive of the tragic level of Uzodinma’s unpreparedness to govern the State.”
He said: “Deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the state, our party had in June this year advised Uzodinma to step down as governor given his evident weakness to manage the security crisis.
“Instead of recognising the well-based advice as a wake-up call, the government has since resorted to high-handedness, name-calling, blackmail, witch-hunting, and hawking of fake, malicious, and mischievous allegations such as the ones that prompted their statement against the PDP,” the party added.
The Imo PDP pointed out that “more instances abound in the arrest order Uzodinma’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba issued against the leaders of PDP in June this year and Uzodinma’s irrational accusation that the leaders of PDP were behind the embarrassing jail-break that occurred in Owerri Prisons in April.”
The party challenged Governor Uzodinma or any official of his government to furnish Imo people with proof to substantiate their claims that Imo PDP leaders were aiding or abetting any group to unleash violence on Imo masses or were behind the scandalous jailbreak or apologise to Imo PDP publicly within one week if they could not provide proof of the allegations.
The party said that Governor Uzodinma should be told that no amount of intimidation and repression “can prevent Imo PDP and its leaders from pushing determinedly alternative views and holding him accountable to the people as provided by the law.
“The PDP is not unmindful of the serial attempts by Uzodinma–led Government to politicise the insecurity in the state in the face of the credibility and legitimacy it has had to contend with. But we must warn of the dangers in seeking to make political capital of the insecurity in the state for self-serving reasons,” the Imo PDP warned.