Dan Opara
A very strong political pressure group in Imo State ably known as “Nneoma Voters Protection Units Squad, NVPUS”, was on 1st April,2019 in Owerri,charged the apex leadership of INEC to issue Certificate of Return to the 2019 Imo APC Senatorial Candidate for Orlu Zone ( Imo West Senatorial District),Gov. Rochas Ethelbert Anayo Okorocha, or face their wrath.
Speaking on behalf of the women group, the Imo Commissioner for Works, Hon.Mrs.Josephine Udoji, who is the Orlu Zonal Coordinator of NVPUS, told newsmen that the election exercise held in Orlu for the Senatorial position was overwhelmingly won by the APC candidate ( Gov.Rochas) with wide margin but expressed disappointment over what she described as unlawful, undemocratic and inhuman by the Electoral Returning Officer, Prof. Innocent Ibeawuchi,who made what she tagged a controversial by insisting that he announced him (Rochas) winner under duress.
The Orlu Zonal NVPUS Coordinator, Mrs.Udoji, while speaking,” described Prof.Ibeawuchi’s electioneering actions and activities as a hatchet job, aimed at distracting the senatorial bid of Gov.Okorocha, even as she stated that the APC won the whole election exercise with a very wide margin.
“Since INEC have investigated the real truth of the electoral activities in Imo West, they should endeavor to ascertain the whole truth of the matter and issue the Certificate of Return to Rochas. If Rochas is duly confirmed as a Senator, he would represent the entire people of Igbo race, not even Orlu zone. He is a good leader with vision. As the Governor of Imo State, he is tested and trusted in the Executive Arm of Govt.and he would be a strong voice at the National Assembly Upper Chamber. He would also offer quality representation if given the mandate that was bestowed upon him by the entire people of Orlu during the polls. We want justice to prevail. He is our choice. We need Rochas as a lawmaker. His certificate of return should be given to him, or….”, Udoji threatened.
Adding their voices, the NVPUS LGA Coordinators for Ohaji Egbema, Hon.Mrs.Uloma Eugenia Matthew, and her Oguta LGA counterpart, Hon. Lady Dorothy Utasi respectively expressed satisfaction that the votes counted for Okorocha and his son-in-law, Hon. Uche Nwosu, who contested for the 2019 Imo Guber under the political party of the Action Alliance, AA, and won but was rigged out by the PDP.
The NVPUS action women, Mrs.Utasi and Mrs.Matthew, while speaking maintained that the people of Orlu zone through their vigorous political campaigns massively voted for Okorocha and Nwosu but regretted that their choices of candidates were denied victory.
The women, however, charged INEC to issue the Certificate of Return of Okorocha and also called on the electoral commission to reverse their electoral decision in favor of their chosen candidate, Uche Nwosu of AA and announce him the winner.
“The injustice melted upon Okorocha and Nwosu is unlawful. But Thank God the Tribunal is on it. Okorocha won and was declared a winner but yet, INEC refused to issue him his certificate of return. We are not happy with the INEC decision against Okorocha but we are very hopeful that the commission would do the right thing by honoring”,NVPUS women submitted.
The Imo NVPUS LGA’s Coordinators, therefore, called on INEC to reverse the case by doing the right ( give Rochas his Return Certificate and Tribunal appeals to favour Nwosu).
