Amby Uneze in Owerri
The Orlu Caucus Members of the Imo State House of Assembly have declared the Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere a persona non grata in Orlu senatorial zone of the State.
Their action followed the alarm raised by Ugochinyere last Wednesday allegedly accusing falsification of voter register in Omuma ward in Oru East local government area of Imo State. Omuma ward is the home ward of the State Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Addressing the press yesterday, the leader of the group and deputy speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Chyna Iwuanyanwu described Ugochinyere as one who does not want development and progress of the zone. "Ugochinyere has nothing to campaign with except to blackmail and tarnish the image of His Excellency. But he is on a mission impossible," he said.
According to him, it is with mixed feelings that we, members of the Orlu caucus of the Imo state House of Assembly, address the press today. As you know, Orlu caucus of the Imo state House of Assembly is the largest caucus comprising of honourable members from the 12 Local Government Areas of Orlu zone, irrespective of political party affiliations.
"We had originally scheduled to meet with you and convey through you our profound gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for his one day official visit to Imo state, which saw him visit Orlu, our ancestral homeland, to commission the Owerri-Orlu dual carriageway, masterfully executed by our own son and governor of Imo state, Senator Hope Uzodimma. This was in addition to two other landmark projects commissioned by the President.
"We were indeed overjoyed over the hugely successful visit inspite of the antics of a few unrepentant renegades who vainly tried to take the shine off the visit.
"Also we want to use this opportunity to thank His Excellency, the Governor, for providing an enabling safe environment which made it possible for the Catholic Bishops from all over Nigeria to hold their conference in Orlu last week. By these two historic visits to Orlu, that of Mr President and the Catholic Bishops in Nigeria, it dawned on all doubting Thomases that Orlu is indeed safe. But not for those who never want to see Orlu safe, such as renegade Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere", he contended.
The caucus expressed unison, irrespective of political parties' differences in commending the governor for rebuilding the Assembly Complex after 10 years of being abandoned in a state of comatose.
"However, just as we were taking the good news to our constituents, we were dismayed by the baseless, spurious and irresponsible allegation by a PDP candidate for Ideato federal constituency, one Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere against the governor.
"His kernel of allegation which is on public domain is that the voter's list at Omuma has been inflated to give undue advantage to APC in next year's general elections. Ugochinyere claimed that himself and unnamed organization carried out investigation of voters' list fraud in all APC states, but curiously it was only that of Imo he made public.
"However, our investigation reveals that the said Ugochinyere was procured for a fee to execute this hatchet job. Apparently, the controversial ticket given to him by PDP has been used to enslave him to the point of betraying his own brother and his own people. This modern Judas has shamelessly sold his patrimony to Owerri zone and their tiny god.
"It is indeed most shameful that even from his own confession, there was a plan by PDP to ensure that the number of registered voters in Orlu zone is whittled down through fraudulent and violent means. That was why they embarked upon sponsoring insecurity in Orlu zone, burning INEC offices and preventing citizens from registering. That is why they are not happy that Orlu zone is finally safe.
Unknown to him, we members of Orlu caucus in Imo state House of Assembly planned ahead by embarking on aggressive sensitization campaign to get our constituents to register.
"Orlu has12 of the 27 local government areas of the state and there is no way that the other two zones can surpass in the registration exercise. Again,we have a sitting governor and the one sure way of boosting his chances of reelection is to get our people to register enmass. That in a nutshell is what has frustrated Ugochinyere and his sponsors.
"As a candidate of PDP in the upcoming elections,we know that Ugochinyere has nothing to campaign with except to blackmail and tarnish the image of His Excellency. But he is on a mission impossible. The Owerri-Orlu road commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari stands as a testimony against him. The Orlu-Mgbee-Akokwa-Uga road under construction by Uzodimma will stand against Ugochinyere. So his ambition had already suffered a still birth,hence his resort to subterfuge and sabotage. Let him stop hiding under CUPP and campaign on his own strength.
"For us in the Orlu caucus in Imo state House of Assembly,we disown this saboteur and veteran mercenary. We urge the people of Ideato federal constituency to distance themselves from him before he brings another bad name and bad luck to them, because someone working against the interest of Orlu zone can never be of any good to his people.
In his response, the Publicity Sectary of Imo PDP, Collins Opurozor dismissed the declaration of the Orlu Caucus of the State Assembly and that of the State government, describing their outburst as acceptance to what Ugochinyere had revealed.
He warned that no attack, threat or harassment of Ikenga Ugochinyere by the "failed regime of APC in Imo State will be tolerated. Not a single hair shall fall from his head, not a scratch found on his body."
He said, "for Imo PDP, it is sheer audacity in criminality for the Governor to still find his voice to issue threats, when by now he is supposed to be telling Nigerians his role in this treasonable offence which seeks to truncate our democracy.
"We commend the shrewdness and dexterity brought to bear by our candidate in exposing the monumental electoral malfeasance, and we are deeply elated that Nigerians and lovers of democracy all over the world are in sync with us in our demand for justice to be done in this matter and perpetrators of this sleaze brought to book.
"Nigerians must rise to defend our democracy. They must no longer sit back and watch Governor Uzodinma sabotage all the efforts made to advance the frontiers of democracy in the country through groundbreaking electoral reforms. What has happened with the compromise of the voters register is pure treason, and it must be known and treated as such.
"Our Party calls on security agencies to immediately place the Governor on security watchlist and commence painstaking investigations into his activities, as he has become a clear and present danger to our democracy and national security," he concluded.
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