Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state has urged the federal government and security agencies to investigate the nationwide rally by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to protest the Supreme Court’s verdict, which ousted Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of the state.
He accused sponsors of the nationwide protest of attempting to overthrow the government of President Muhamadu Buhari.
The governor disclosed this on Monday when hundreds of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state staged a solidarity rally for him over his victory at the Supreme Court.
“Why are they organising a nationwide protest on an event that happened in Imo? If they didn’t have ulterior motive to bring down the government, they could have held the rally in Imo state where the Supreme Court passed a judgement”, he queried.
He added: “We are one united and indivisible country. We did not go to court to challenge the election on the grounds of violence or over-voting, but we asked the court to add our votes which INEC did not include. It was on the basis of our argument that the Supreme Court declared me as the winner of the election.”
The governor urged the people of the state to go about their normal businesses because he’s in charge, adding that “It is by the grace of God that I’m your governor.”
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Ihedioha wrongly as the governor, stressing that the Supreme Court restored the confidence of the electorate in the judicial process.
Also speaking, the state’s APC deputy chairman, Ugochukwu Nzekwe, said the party members were on a solidarity rally to show that the people of the state were happy with Senator Hope Uzodinma as their new governor.
The state’s APC Secretary, Dr. Love Ineh, berated women who participated in the PDP organised rally, describing them as “hired town criers.”
She alleged that the women were given N500 each to participate in the protest, stressing that the state had passed that stage.
Our reporter gathered that the pro-Uzodinma protesters marched from the Hero’s Square to the Government House where the converged, just as traffic was disrupted along major highways as motorists were stranded for hours.
Also, traffic and regular policemen had hectic time controlling the crowd while the rally lasted.
