… Asks APC, Uzodinma to apologise
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Imo State chapter has denied reports that the party and its leaders were aiding and abetting the spate of insecurity in the state
The party in a press statement issued by the acting state publicity secretary, Mazi Emenike Mmeregini ,and made available to newsmen said the reports is erroneous.
According to him, ” Although we consider these reports largely frivolous, flippant and contemptuous, we nonetheless decided to respond, so as to set the records straight and to provide Imolites with useful insights into the disturbing and worrisome security situations in the state.”
Mmeregini alleged that the unsigned press releases were evidently sponsored by Senator Hope Uzodimma-led APC government to build trumped up charges against the leaders of the opposition party in the state, in order to intimidate, oppress and silence them from holding his administration accountable to the people.
He said the state of insecurity in the state showed a dripping lack of capacity on the part of APC government led by Uzodimma to guarantee safety and security of lives and property of Imo people.
He recalled that it was because of the deteriorating security situation in the state that the PDP in June this year, advised Governor Uzodimma to step down as governor given his evident weakness to manage the security crisis.
He added that instead of heeding to the advice as a wake-up call, the government 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.
“More instances abound in the arrest order Uzodimma’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba issued against the leaders of PDP in June this year and Uzodimma’s irrational accusation that the leaders of PDP were behind the embarrassing jail-break that occurred in Owerri Prisons in April.
“Consequently, we are challenging Uzodimma or any official of his government to furnish Imo people with proofs to substantiate their baseless claims that Imo PDP leaders are aiding or abetting any group to unleash violence on Imo masses or were behind the scandalous jail-break; if not they should within one week publicly apologize to Imo PDP. We therefore, sound a note of warning that we will no longer take these hateful allegations by Uzodimma and his aides lightly again as we will be compelled to challenge the APC government legally”, Mmeregini maintained.
