Fresh facts have emerged on the reason why the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, stormed Imo State with a mission to derail the November 11 governorship election scheduled for this Saturday.
In a press statement issued by the South East Transparency Initiative (SETI), of which a copy was made available to our correspondent in Owerri and signed by its National Coordinator and National Secretary, Chief Darlington Nwogu and Christian Ukachukwu, respectively, the group revealed that it uncovered some nocturnal meetings held in Abuja between Ajaero and some aggrieved politicians from Imo State with a promise to make the state ungovernable.
SETI stated that the plot was hatched in Abuja with the opposition parties and some who claim to belong to the same All Progressives Congress (APC) with the governor, with the sole aim of repeating the ugly scenario that befell one-time governor of the state, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim.
According to the group, one recalls that in the 2011 governorship campaigns, Ohakim was accused of beating a Reverend Father who could not give way as the former governor’s convoy was passing. The opposition at the time went haywire with propaganda and falsehood, accusing the former governor of so many unprintable falasies, which eventually caused his re-election. Years after the incident, both the reverend father, the Catholic Church, and those involved in the damage made open confessions, pleading with Ohakim to forgive them as they were deceived. By the time of the confessions, the deed had been done.
“Clearly, Ajaero is not fighting for the Imo masses but for his pocket and that of his paymasters. He boasted to his paymasters that he would bring down Governor Hope Uzodimma by all means, the way Ohakim was brought down from winning his second term.
“The opposition, in their nefarious plot to have a repeat of the Ohakim experience, neatly arranged the mob action in order to hang it on the neck of Governor Hope Uzodimma. It is unfortunate for them that their bubble has exploded and the evil plot has been uncovered, thereby punctuating their wicked act.
“We are therefore calling on the Nigerian police to investigate the matter thoroughly and bring the culprits to book. Also, let the Imo State Government not leave any stone unturned to unravel the hidden agenda of these disgruntled elements,” they stated.
The group, however, called on the good people of Imo State to ignore the antics of Joe Ajaero and the opposition and come out enmass on Saturday, November 11, to vote for the candidate of their choice.
SETI, which has as its main goal to promote good governance and transparency, is anxious to see a credible, fair, and crisis-free governorship election in the state on Saturday, November 11, 2023.
In reaction to the issue, the Imo State Factional Chairman of the NLC, Comrade George Ofoegbu, declined to talk, citing the issue of security as his reason.
According to him, if you are a journalist, I wouldn’t want to talk about the issue for security reasons.
