Tunji Adedeji
Apparently angered over the official withdrawal of two vehicles, a JAC Truck and Innoson Truck reportedly gifted the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State by past administration, the main opposition party on Tuesday alleged that Governor Hope Uzodinma has intensified moves to “ruthlessly deal with Imo PDP”
The party in a statement signed by its publicity Secretary, Ogu Bundu Nwadike and sighted by Trumpeta explained how a Task Force from Government House, Owerri, stormed the party secretariat and took away two vehicles.
The party revealed that the Prosperity government of Uzodinma is intensifying moves on how to give the party a political blow.
It will be recalled that PDP DG has been arrested and facing 7 court charges in the state .It will also be recalled that before Tuesday’s withdrawal of vehicles there is an ongoing probe of Ihedioha by the Imo House of Assembly led by Rt Hon Chiji Collins.
It may also interest any keen observer that the House has also instituted plans to commence the probing of TC Chairmen who served Ihedioha’s administration. Now it has come after vehicles donated to the party which the party officials claimed was gifted to them by sacked Governor Emmeka Ihedioha.
All this development and many more are there to buttress the fact that the ruling APC is intensifying moves to silence opposition in the state.
Nwadike said the party takes the action as another proof of the willful resolve of the present administration to deal ruthlessly with the party
Before the vehicles were carted away, the State Secretary of the PDP, Ray Emeana, had released a letter from the SA, Security to the Governor, directing him to hand over the vehicles.
Emeana had said the vehicles were gifted to the party by the administration of Emeka Ihedioha.
Narrating details how the vehicles were carted away, the PDP spokesman said the vehicles were property of the party assigned to the State Chairman, Martin Ejiogu, and State Secretary, Ray Emeana.
He said the latest action is the first time in history of Imo politics, vehicles gifted to a political party will be withdrawn by a new regime, describing the act as an unfortunate incidence in the annals of politics of the state.
The party’s spokesman went memory lane, recalling that when the PDP was in power, from May 29, 2019 and January 14, 2020, at no time the Rebuild Imo administration of Emeka Ihedioha withdrew the vehicles of the Rescue Mission government of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
However, Chief Damian Opara, former PDP publicity secretary on his timeline few hours after the news went viral gave another version of the story saying that the two Vehicles recovered at the PDP office by Imo State Taskforce was never a gift or a donation by the past PDP Government to Imo State Chapter of PDP.
Rather the black Innoson Vehicle was the official vehicle given to Raymond Emeana as the Chairman of Imo State Housing Corporation , while the White JAC vehicle was given to Martins Ejiogu directly by the Jasper Ndubuaku recovery committee which he converted to a his personal use as Chairman of Imo State Land allocation committee.
He said, “To tell the public that the vehicles were given to PDP as a gift by the immediate past PDP Government was not correct, People should be Man enough to tell the truth, everything should not be fake news mixed with propaganda.”
“The Taskforce simply recovered Government vehicles in possession of appointees of previous administration, as non of the two Vehicles were given or donated to PDP. We should beware of News and information we give to the Public as the Law is now watching us”
