Pan-northern socio-political organisation under the aegis of Arewa Consultative Youths Movement has called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd ), to investigate the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, for allegedly spearheading a plot to sack the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and deactivate the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
But when contacted, Oguwike Nwachukwu, the Chief Press Secretary to Uzodinma, said those making the allegations had no electoral value.
However, the ACYM in a statement issued on Sunday by its President, Kabiru Yusuf, said it had identified Uzodinma as leading the group of people who were hatching the anti-INEC agenda.
The PUNCH reported that opposition political parties in Nigeria under the aegis of Coalition of United Political Parties, had raised concerns over fresh plots to truncate the 2023 general election through evil means, including stopping the use of BVAS and electronic transmission of results.
The CUPP had alleged that plans had been perfected by the perpetrators to create crisis of confidence based on trumped up charges that would lead to the removal of top officials of INEC, including its chairman and other national commissioners who were insisting on the use of the BVAS for the 2023 elections and the “irreversible” use of electronic transmission of the result.
The organisation said it was therefore important for the president as the leader of the All Progressives Congress, which Uzodinma belongs, to convince Nigerians that the plan was not that of his party by disowning the governor.
The statement reads, “We have discovered that Governor Uzodinma is the brain behind the plot to sack INEC chairman and deactivate BVAS.
“We are therefore calling on the president to investigate the governor which belongs to his party.
“This is the only way President Buhari can prove to all lovers of democracy that his party is not behind this Uzodinma’s plot.
“President Buhari should hurry up and disown this governor who is already carrying on as if he has an agenda to truncate the nation’s democracy.”
Nwachukwu told The PUNCH that the Arewa Consultative Youths Movement were among those being sponsored by politicians against Uzodinma.
He said, “Ordinarily we would not have responded to this nonsense if not that the ‘Uzodinmaphobia’ is already catching on those who do not have electoral value and are going about looking for who to blame in the event they meet their electoral woo next year.
“Have you not noticed that they blame Uzodimma for the salt their wives failed to put in their meals? So, would you be surprised at the ridiculous issues they have raised? We know those with such political mindset beacause that is their own way of serving the public, howbeit deceptively.
“I am sure you have come across and listened to an audio video trending on social media where a former governor of Imo State said so long as he is around Governor Uzodinma he will not have peace in government house?
“These are the characters and more who go about raking up all manner of groups like your so-called Arewa Consultative Youths Movememt to insinuate trash about Governor Uzodinma because doing so suits their game plan to continually distract the governor from rendering valuable service to the good people of Imo State.
“But one thing we can assure you is that Governor Uzodinma will remain focused on his job despite the distractions. Imo people are already at home with Governor Uzodinma’s people-oriented programmes and projects as encapsulated in his 3R mantra of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery, and will not be awake to see those who have kept the state down for years continue on that lane.
“The people have long come to terms with the knowledge that Governor Uzodinma did not come to Imo to joke.”
