The Imo State Government has reacted to the purported falsehood, propaganda and blackmail by Ikenga Ugochinyere against the Executive Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma and his Government over INEC Voters register.
In a Press conference by Hon. Declan Emelumba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Imo State Government said, “The Imo State government would have completely ignored a recent public statement, credited to one Ikenga Ugochinyere, claiming that voter registration in Omuma, the home ward of His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State, was inflated with fictitious names”.
“This is partly because it is coming from a man, whose life has been defined by recklessness, irresponsibility and seditious outburst. However, doing so will be wrong because that will amount to condoning criminality of his action.”
“This is why we deem it necessary to call on the relevant security agencies to immediately arrest the said Ugochinyere , to find out from him how he obtained the voters register he has been parading before the public even when the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) is still at the stage of Automated Biometric Verification of the System (ABIS), which must be concluded before an official voters register can be released to the public.”
“In actual fact, INEC has issued an official statement on this and has even gone further to list the names of the states that entered fictitious registration of voters. Imo State is not on that list. It is therefore clear that Ugochinyere either hacked INEC Saver and doctored documents there-from or forged the document he was brandishing. Either way is criminal and it is important that he is immediately arrested for questioning.”
“Consecutively, it should be clear that the claim by Ugochinyere that there was fraudulent registration at Omuma, the ward of the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, could have only come from a jaundiced and mischievous mindset.”
“The security agencies have an urgent task to find out how Ugochinyere, a PDP candidate in the 2023 elections, came about the documents, which is aimed at heating up the polity and inciting the public.”
“It is curious that Ugochinyere could brazenly brandish spurious documents all in the name of doing a yeoman’s job to rubbish the Imo State Governor. It is also, fatous and laughable that he claimed that the so-called Conference of United Political Parties (CUPP’s) alleged investigation into the 22 States controlled by APC in Nigeria only ended up pinpointing on the home ward of the Governor. This clearly proves that there was no investigation in the first place but a circus show aimed at embarrassing him.”
“That circus show was hatched by PDP in Imo State to embarrass the government in a vain attempt, to diminish the shine from the hugely successful presidential visit of last Tuesday. It should be curious to discerning minds that Ugochinyere released his tissue of lies just a day after the successful official visit of Mr. President to Imo State. The truth is that the PDP in the State is devastated by the successful commissioning of the signature projects of the Governor by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
“It is interesting that Ugochinyere, who is a PDP candidate for elections for Ideato Federal Constituency of Imo State, is hiding under CUPP to execute the “satanic” agenda of his paymasters.”
“Let him stop hiding under CUPP. Let him stop using the body as a front. Let him come out openly as PDP candidate to campaign for himself and his master(s).”
“On the claim that Omuma Ward had fewer than 6,000 registered voters in 2014, I have it on good authority from verified data from INEC that the Ward had almost 10,000 voters under that period and had registered over 23,000 by 2019, because many indigenes from the Ward came home to register to vote to support their son who was contesting the governorship elections.”
“The siting of a Polytechnic at Omuma, which has over 20,000 students and staff, was to throw up more eligible voters from different parts of Nigeria, residing in Omuma. This will naturally shoot up the number of registered voters for 2023.”
“More telling is the tepid reference by Ugochinyere to a pending “secret court action” in a Federal High Court Owerri against the use of BVAS. The way he said it, after his porous allegations against the Governor, was to insinuate that it was filed by an agent of government. Fortunately the lawyer whose stamp was used and signature forged to file the suit has disclaimed same and revealed that it was one Blessing Iwuagunwa ESQ, who borrowed his NBA stamp this year that must have filed the suit. We have traced the said Iwuagunwa to be a very close associate of Emeka Ihedioha, who Ugochinyere is working for. This also makes it very clear where this whole concoction is coming from and why.”
“The allusion by Ugochinyere that the INEC Office at Omuma had been burnt and that residents have fled the community because of insecurity, clearly vindicated government’s position that PDP was behind the insecurity in Imo State for political gains.”
“From the foregoing, it should be clear to all and sundry that Ugochinyere’s antics were diversionary tactics meant to perfect the fraudulent activity of PDP and to divert attention from their evil plots against the 2023 elections” the State Government concluded.