PDP, Imo govt trade accusations over LG poll

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has dismissed the recently concluded local government elections, describing the process as illegitimate.

The party claims that the elections, held on September 21, were a farce and that the 27 purportedly elected local government chairmen and 305 councillors are “impostors” imposed by Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration.

In a statement issued by Imo PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Lancetor Obiaku, the party alleged that these officials were being positioned to siphon local government funds. Obiaku further claimed that each chairman had been forced to sign resignation letters as a control mechanism by the governor.

The PDP also called for anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to investigate the alleged diversion of local government allocations. They expressed concern over an alleged agreement where the state signed off two years’ worth of LGA allocations for an unfulfilled electrification project, labelling it a fraudulent scheme.

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Furthermore, the party criticised the state’s electoral process, accusing the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) of violating the Electoral Act by allowing the All Progressives Congress (APC) to submit candidates only two days before the election.

Reacting to these accusations, the Imo State Government dismissed the PDP’s claims. Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba accused the PDP of planning to incite violence in the state, drawing parallels to recent unrest in Rivers State following its local government elections.

Emelumba also rejected the allegations regarding forced resignation letters and the misappropriation of local government funds, stating that all transactions related to the electrification project were transparent. He urged the PDP to seek legal redress if dissatisfied with the election outcome, warning that threats of violence would not be tolerated.

The commissioner labelled the PDP as “sore losers,” encouraging the party to respect the democratic process and avoid inflaming tensions in the state.