By CHARLES IWUOHA

Imo State Government has debunked the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state that the APC-led government was trying to rig the forthcoming LGA election.

The exercise is scheduled for September 21, across the 27 local council areas of the state.

Denying the allegation, the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, in a statement, maintained that, based on what he described as the popularity of Governor Hope Uzodinma due to his people-oriented projects visible across the state, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will no doubt record overwhelming success in the election.

He stated that It was very insulting for the PDP to accuse the governor of smuggling pre-written results to ISIEC, dismissing the allegation as a statement coming from a failed party which, he said, is going into oblivion and cannot match up with APC in any electoral contest.

“PDP is in tatters. It is best remembered in Imo State today as a failed party. They already know that they cannot win a single ward in the state, which is why they are crying wolf and trying to discredit an election that is yet to be held,” he stated.

The Information Commissioner berated the PDP for always raising false alarms to attract sympathy instead of going to the field to campaign.

He noted that APC was not only strong in Imo State but also very formidable and impregnable, as evidenced by its performance during the November 11, 2023, governorship election in the state.

“APC won in all 27 local government areas of the state. PDP could not even win the local government of their governorship candidate.

“After dragging APC to all the courts, the Supreme Court still affirmed that His Excellency, Gov. Hope Uzodinma, won fair and square,” he further stated.

Emelumba hinted that no governor with the achievements recorded by Uzodinma would descend to rigging a local government election, especially when APC is firmly rooted in the grassroots of the state.

He further pointed out that ISIEC remains truly independent and would conduct a credible, free, and fair local government election on September 21, 2024, maintaining that those entertaining doubts about the credibility of the state electoral body already know that they will lose the election.

“It is a well-known trademark of the PDP to raise false alarms about imaginary rigging of an election because failure is their constant companion,” he said.

He enjoined Imo electorate to ignore what he described as the antics of a drowning party and vote massively for APC as a guarantee of more dividends of democracy in the state, especially at the grassroots.