Imo State Government has debunked an allegation of vote-buying levelled against it by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, ahead of this year’s general election.
PDP had earlier alleged that the state government was making pockets of cash transfers to the electorate to get their support in the February 25 election.
A statement made available to journalists in Owerri, the state capital by Oguwike Nwachuku, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodimma, quoted the state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, on Saturday, as saying, “The Imo State chapter of PDP which made the allegation is only displaying the gasps of a drowning man, desperate to drag everyone to his doom.
The statement titled, ‘You are displaying gasps of a drowning man, Imo State govt tells PDP,’ condemned the action of the party, adding that PDP was fragmented beyond redemption and not ready to contest the election.
He observed that, “not too long ago, the same PDP lamented that it can no longer campaign because of insecurity, and now, it is talking of vote buying.
“It is now obvious that the PDP is not ready for the election, hence it is crying a wolf.
“Currently, they don’t even have candidates in some constituencies, including that of Emeka Ihedioha because of faction,” Emelumba pointed out.
He added, “Instead of addressing their self-inflicted problem, they are busy accusing the state government of all manner of plots.”
Also speaking, national secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, who was absent a few days ago when the PDP went on a campaign in his local government of Ikeduru noted that, “The party is in disarray and seeing that they cannot defeat APC, they have resorted to blackmail and whipping up sentiments against the state government.
“But that is to be expected of a drowning man, gasping for breath and desperate to drag everyone around him to the sea,” he stressed.
Anyanwu maintained that the PDP was “delusional” by saying that the APC is unfit to face the electorate when in actual fact, the APC had roundly defeated the PDP and won all bye-elections conducted in the state since it assumed office in 2020.
“At any rate, the PDP cannot speak on behalf of the Imo electorate which had severally rejected them. Unlike the PDP, the APC has its achievements as a validation of its acceptance in the state,” he declared.
The commissioner regretted that the PDP has become a laughing stock before well-meaning people of the state and the security agencies because of “its frequent, childish and unsubstantiated allegations against the state government.”
Source: The Punch