TRACKING____Recent comment by the former deputy governor of Imo State, Gerald Ironna in a press conference whose audio has gone viral on the social media, revealing an alleged threat by him to make the state ungovernable for Governor Uzodinma if the Supreme Court fails to reverse its verdict on the Imo 2019 governorship election has continued to generate tension in the state
Uzodinma in a swift reaction through the Director of Media, of his campaign organisation, Mbadiwe Emelumba to the alleged threat, has urged security agencies to take a critical look at the statements made by the former deputy governor.
The former deputy governor in the audio had also allegedly threatened to make the state a secluded state to be administered by President , Muhammodu Buhari if the Supreme Court fails to reverse its judgement on Imo governorship case.
Uzodinma pointed out that the former deputy governor’s statement welas not just inflammatory and an incitement of the public but a clear case of treasonable felony.
According to the governor “in the audio recording, Irona had also indicted the Department of State Security (DSS) when he claimed that he had a video recording of the calls their officials made to the judges that heard the Imo governorship petition, trying to coerce them into giving judgement in favour of APC.”
He further argued that the former deputy governor “must be held accountable for his utterances” which he said were capable of breaching public peace and eroding confidence in the nation’s democracy and security agencies, apart from ridiculing the judiciary.
“I think it is only proper that the relevant security agencies should get him to explain how he plans to execute his plans of making Imo state ungovernable and delisting it from the federating units of the country. These plans amount to treasonable felony and should not be left like that. Besides, I believe the DSS should be interested in viewing the video where their officials were making calls to jmthe just,” Emelumba suggested.
Also, reacting to the claim by Ironna that governor Uzodimma had not won elections before and that the results from the 388 polling units, which were the bedrock upon which the governorship election petition judgement was given, were fake, the governor dismissed both as the “ranting of a deeply frustrated man who is still in a state of irreversible shock over his ouster as deputy governor”.
His words: “When Irona talks about those who have never won elections he must be referring to himself because he has never won any election. He became House of Assembly member and local government council chairman as a token from PDP to his political mentor, Arthur Nzeribe.
“The PDP ceded the positions to his mentor who delivered him in the typical Nzeribe style. In 2015 when he contested for the federal House he imported gunmen who snatched ballot boxes for him during the primaries. He never won but used gunmen to steal the ballots. I was there physically so I am in a position to confirm this,” Uzodinma said.
He continued “and that is the problem with Irona and his former boss Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha. Imo people know very well that they have never won elections before. Check Ihedioha’s election history it has been stories of manipulation and fraud.
“From his House of Representatives days to the guber primaries in 2014, and 2019, it is the same.
How can any one in true conscience say that PDP won the 2019 governorship elections.
“Even with the manipulated results they declared PDP had over 70% of its votes from Mbaise three LGAs where they wrote results and scored 200 % more votes than accredited voters.
“The problem here is that Irona and his master and the PDP are unrepentant political armed robbers. Even when they have been caught and the owner of the mandate has recovered his mandate they are still crying wolf.
“Hope Uzodimma won the gubernatorial election of 2019 clean and square, and for the records, he has always won his elections
About the results from 388 polling units one can only add that the PDP and co had their chance and time to make their case at the hearings from tribunal to Appeal to Supreme Court”.
Reacting to the comment by Ironna to publish the results in each booth the election was held in the wards, Uzodinma said “if they could not substantiate their claims at those hearings publishing any results in a thousand newspapers amounts to trying to administer medicine to a man who is dead and buried.
“They know they have no case but are only trying to do what Irona promised in his audio message: “To escalate tension in the country,” Uzodinma claimed.
