We’ll play decent opposition, says LP’s Achonu on verdict affirming Uzodimma’s election

Athan Achonu, governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo, says his party will play “decent opposition” in the state.

Achonu said this in reaction to the supreme court verdict that affirmed the election of Hope Uzodimma as the governor of Imo.

In November, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Uzodimma won the election with a total of 540,308 votes, Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 71,503 votes while Achonu came third with 64,081 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Achonu and Anyanwu went to court.

But the apex court dismissed their cases on August 23 and affirmed Uzodimma as governor.

In a statement on Tuesday, Achonu expressed “deep concerns surrounding this judgment”.

“It is worthy of mention that a dangerous and unhealthy political culture has been introduced by the ruling party, the APC,” he said.

“They manipulate election results and, in a brazen display of arrogance, tell the opposition to go to court. It is clear now that in Nigeria, it is no longer the people who decide who wins an election; it is the judiciary.

“The audacity of this practice, where the judiciary’s pronouncements outweigh the people’s votes, should alarm every patriotic Nigerian.

“Unfortunately, the Judiciary is not able to ensure INEC does the right thing in election petition matters such as this.

“While I recognize the importance of unity and cooperation, I want to assure you that as the opposition, the Labour Party and my campaign organization will remain vigilant. We must play the role of an opposition guided by decency, decorum, and constructive criticism.”

He said the APC government should be called out when it is failing, but praised when it is doing well.