The Labour Party governorship candidate for the November 11 gubernatorial election in Imo State, Senator Athan Nnejilananim Achonu, has carpeted Governor Hope Uzodinma over alleged mass looting of local government funds since he assumed office.
Speaking to the mammoth crowd that thronged his campaign rally at Isiala Mbano Local Government Area on Saturday, the leading governorship candidate condemned the frittering away of about N2.5 billion naira monthly federal allocation to each of the 27 local government areas of Imo State by the Uzodinma administration.
Senator Achonu noted that if the monies were left with the local government, it would have translated to meaningful development, created jobs and reduced insecurity in the localities.
He reiterated his earlier pledge to guarantee full local government autonomy and conduct credible local government elections once elected as the governor of Imo State.
Achonu berated the All Progressives Congress, APC-led government of Governor Hope Uzodinma for allegedly destroying all economic and social sectors of the state.
He wondered “why a state that was once ranked 3rd in education in Nigeria before Uzodinma came in as governor could now rank 34th out of 36 states in Nigeria” and promised that education and health would be top priorities in his administration.
Speaking further, the Labour Party flag bearer assured Okigwe Zone that he would “build two industrial parks in the zone, comprising a ceramic park and an agricultural industrial park to boost the economy, create jobs and enhance rural development.
“Imo needs as a governor someone who has a job or business known to all Imolites. I challenge Governor Uzodinma to show Ndi Imo his private business, no matter how small, even if it is a cocoyam farm.”
Achonu recalled how he approached Uzodinma then as the Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation to work with him so that they could get the Federal Government to support making Imo Cargo Airport a truly cargo hub, but Uzodinma declined.
Achonu pleaded with Okigwe people to forgive their children, who are shouting Charter of Equity, especially Chief Tony Chukwu. He attributed it to fear of Hope Uzodinma, who has bent them so low that their sense of reasoning is not in use again.
He also promised to clear the backlog of unpaid pensions to Imo senior citizens so that they would have reason to live again and lampooned Uzodinma, who declared workers ghosts because he wanted to deny the workers their wages, saying it was heartless and an act of wickedness.
Related Posts
On insecurity, Senator Achonu wept for what has befallen Imo State in the last 45 months.
He narrated his visit to Okigwe Local Government where 19 houses were burnt to ashes, helpless women rendered homeless and people chased away from their ancestral lands, promising Okigwe and Orlu zones that after his election, he would immediately stop all manner of killings, bloodshed and destruction of properties.
He called on people to come out en masse on November 11 to vote for Labour Party and allayed their fears, assuring them of security presence everywhere to protect the voters and their votes.
Some members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, such as High Chief Stanley Ojukwu, used the occasion of the campaign rally to defect to the Labour Party.
Ojukwu pledged to mobilise the entire Ugiri community for Achonu and assured his people that with the triumph of Achonu on November 11, Imo State would be well again.
Similarly, Chief Martin Emereonye and his men, who were followers of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume threw their political weight behind Senator Athan Achonu.
The rally has in attendance party leaders and notable dignitaries from Okigwe Zone, including
Mrs Aisha Chiamaka Achonu:, wife to Senator Achonu and the incoming First Lady of Imo State, Hon. Chime Nzeribe, DG of the campaign organisation, Barr. Calistus Ihejiagwa Hon. Stanley Nzekwe, Hon. Tochukwu Okere, Mrs Oluchi Okpara:, National treasurer, Labour party, and several other top party big wigs.
Meanwhile, Achonu has scaled over the last legal hurdle to his candidature of the Labour Party.
A Federal High Court sitting in Owerri on Friday dismissed the suit filed by Mr Ike c Ibe against Senator Athan Achonu for lack of merit.
With this dismissal all legal challenges against the Labour Party’ authentic gubernatorial candidate has come to an end.
