The Imo State Government has refuted a charge that it is attempting to use cash transfers to influence voters ahead of this year's general elections.
It claimed that the People's Democratic Party (PDP) state chapter that made the assertion sounded like a man who is drowning and is attempting to drag everyone else down with him.
Chief Declan Emelumba, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, claimed that the PDP is so broken that it can't be fixed and isn't prepared to run in the election in a statement issued by the government on Saturday.
“In the real sense of it, PDP in Imo State actually wants to derail the election because it is consumed by the internal crisis which has made it impossible for it to win the election,” Emelumba said.
He said that the PDP was complaining not long ago that it couldn’t campaign because it was too dangerous, but now it’s talking about buying votes.
He said: “It is now obvious that the PDP is not ready for the election, hence it is crying wolf. Currently, they don’t even have candidates in some constituencies, including that Emeka Ihedioha because of factionalization. Instead of addressing their self-inflicted problem, they are busy accusing the state government of all manner of plots.”
Emelumba said that Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the party’s national secretary, was absent when the PDP went on a campaign trip to his home local government of Ikeduru a few days ago.
“What does that tell you? The party is in disarray and seeing that they cannot defeat the APC, they have resorted to blackmail and whipping up sentiments against the state government. But that is to be expected of a drowning man.”
He said that the PDP was delusional for saying that the APC wasn’t ready to face the voters since the APC had beaten the PDP by a large margin and won all bye-elections in the state since it took office in 2020.
He said that the PDP is not qualified to run for office and should give up on the APC since it can’t even keep its own house in order.
“At any rate, the PDP cannot speak on behalf of the Imo electorate which had several times rejected them. Unlike the PDP, the APC has its achievements as a validation of its acceptance in the state,” Emelumba added.
He thinks the PDP’s “frequent, childish, and unsubstantiated allegations” against the state government have made Imo residents and security agencies laugh at it.
He said, “I thought by now Imo PDP would have proved even one of its serial allegations. Instead, they have continued to make a greater fool of themselves by coming up with even more babyish, senseless and totally ludicrous allegations.”
Emelumba said that he had no doubt that the APC would beat the PDP in the upcoming elections, and he told “the fragmented party” to drop out and prepare for its inevitable breakup.