The National Vice Chairman (Southeast) of the Labour Party (LP), Chief Innocent Sunday Okeke has described as laughable and untrue the assumption that the party’s governorship candidate in Imo State in the November 11 governorship election, Senator Athan Achonu had a deal with Governor Hope Uzodimma to undermine the party’s expected victory the state.
Okeke’s remarks followed the trending voice message, alleging that Senator Achonu was given the sum of $2 million by Governor Uzodimma with which he(Achonu) allegedly used to buy over the party’s delegates during the recent primaries of the party where he emerged as LP governorship candidate.
It was also alleged in the audio message that the aim was for Achonu to remain inactive as the governorship candidate if LP ahead if the election.
But in a statement issued in Enugu on Monday, Okeke, who was a member of the Electoral Committee for Imo State governorship primary, urged every aggrieved aspirant to apply caution and shun any form of blackmail against the party members as recently seen in the trending voice message.
He said: “The above assumption is not only laughable but exposes the desperation of the originator. We must embrace the spirit of sportsmanship. Let those defeated in a fair contest congratulate the winner and work for the party’s victory as we have over time witnessed in all the other states where Labour Party conducted her governorship primaries.
“Contrary to what naysayers are selling to the unsuspecting public, the election was done strictly in compliance with the delegates’ list as they emerged from their wards after a credible congress.
“As we know, each ward represents a community in the state. This simply means that 305 Imo state communities gathered at the Landmark Event Centre Owerri, on the 15th April, 2023, to elect the best candidate to fly the flag of Labour Party for the forth coming election. Each Community in the state was given an opportunity to contribute to who later became the standard bearer.
“As National Vice Chairman (South East) of our great party and a member of the Electoral Committee, I attest to the fact that every process taken to conduct the primary election was transparent and without bias.
“We understood that it was never going to be easy managing 16 aspirants in a single election, but we did it seamlessly to the applause of the contestants. Those trying to plant seed of discord in our party over the conduct of the primary election should have a rethink. They should rather explore avenues provided in the party’s constitution in seeking redress, not by mudslinging”.
Okeke described the primary as the most rancour free primary election in Nigeria, to produce a candidate for Imo governorship election for November 11, 2023.
“The party conducted the freest, fairest and most credible primary elections for the emergence of a candidate.
“The exercise reaffirmed the genuine call for a paradigm shift in line with the new Nigerian mantra. Apart from having INEC staff to supervise the primary, security agents and observers were on ground to observe the entire exercise”.
The party chieftain also said that the LP guber candidate, Senator Athan Achonu did not spring a surprise as he was always among the top three of likely winner of the election.
While promising that party and its candidate would accommodate everyone in the scheme of things, Okeke, seized the medium to salute all the aspirants for their commitment and conduct throughout the period of canvassing for votes.
