Labour Party will defeat Uzodinma, APC without campaign – Sen. Athan Achonu

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) for November 11th off-season election in Imo State, Senator Athan Achonu, has said his party will defeat the candidate of ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Hope Uzodinma, even without campaigning for votes in the state.

Fielding questions with journàlists in Abuja, Achonu said no power of incumbency can beat Labour Party in the forthcoming governorship election, adding that from the data he obtained on the public perception and opinion, Imolites are yearning for rescue, which he said propelled his mission to the Government House.

“Labour Party is the party to beat in Imo and Igboland for this election, especially in Imo. I did a poll to try to gauge the feelings of the electorates to see where they are leaning towards, honestly I will expect a Labour Party governorship candidate who has won the primary of his party to at least collect twenty million dollars to sell out to Hope Uzodinma, not one million dollars.

“It is an insult. I will expect that Hope Uzodinma will offer that candidate at least twenty million dollars to step down for him because the man has almost won the election, without campaigning. Because even in the last election, where did you see their candidates win in the actual voting?”, Achonu said while dispelling the allegation that he was working for Uzodinma.

Speaking further, he said it is clear that Uzodinma doesn not believe in election, adding that he and the Labour Party are ready for him this time around.

“He does not believe in voting. He has never really won any election. If you investigate properly, you will see that he has never really won any election. I am going to win him in his local government. That I can guarantee you. And I am very very ready to take him on”, he said.

Senator Achonu therefore vowed to secure Imo for Imolites, saying “I cannot expose my plans here. I have, I am ready. I am very, very ready. To secure Imo for Imolites. I have to do that. I have often asked myself, why am I alive? Because I’ve been through so many things in my life. God protected me, saved me, kept me alive. I believe it is for this day.”

Citing the high level of insecurity and poverty in Imo, the Labour Party candidate said part of his vision is to grant both financial and developmental autonomy to the local governments in the State, saying this will effectively address the rising insecurity and killings in the State.

According to him, “I have always believed that it was since they hijacked the local government system that criminality came in. You know the local governments used to patronize these local warlords. These men, the big men in the villages, the local governments, strong men, they used to be contractors.

“They used to build drainages. They used to grade roads and make money. But the moment governors started to pocket local government money, all hell broke loose.

“If you have a councilor elected by the people, because for the people to elect you to lead them as a councillor, they believe in you, that you have the integrity to protect their interests. There is no way you will be an elected councillor and a criminal comes into that immediate environment and you will not notice. It will be brought to your notice.

“That is why if you look at some of my billboards, I was advocating vigilante for communities and local governments. So, immediately, the first bill I am going to send to the House of Assembly is to set up a vigilante. Every local government will have their own vigilante. Because one naira of their money, the state government will not know how it is spent. Even though we will be looking at it, because we have to oversight capabilities through the House of Assembly.”