The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Governor Hope Uzodimma, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, less than twenty-four hours before the Imo State governorship election. The party, through its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, released a statement on Friday alleging that Uzodimma should be disqualified for supposedly financing a video aimed at discrediting the PDP candidate, Sam Anyanwu, in an attempt to mislead the state’s electorate.
According to Ologunagba, a widely circulated video on social media on Thursday portrayed Sam Anyanwu endorsing Uzodimma, a move the PDP claims to be a deceitful tactic orchestrated by the APC candidate. Ologunagba dismissed the video as fraudulent and criticized Uzodimma for allegedly resorting to last-minute manipulative strategies to eliminate the PDP’s candidate.
Expressing concern, Ologunagba highlighted the audacity of the video creators in attempting to pass it off as a legitimate news production by the TVC. He commended TVC’s management for promptly refuting the video’s authenticity and disassociating the network from the misleading content. The PDP called on the people of Imo State to disregard the video and affirmed that Anyanwu remains a strong contender in the gubernatorial race.
The PDP has accused Governor Uzodimma of orchestrating a misleading video to discredit their candidate and has called for his disqualification, while also commending TVC for swiftly denouncing the fake video. The party reassures the people of Imo State that Anyanwu is still a viable candidate for the governorship.
It read: “If there is anybody that should withdraw from the race, it is Governor Uzodimma, who has amply demonstrated that he is not ready to contest in a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent election.
“The PDP calls on INEC to disqualify the APC and Governor Uzodimma as their reported involvement in producing and circulating the fake video constitutes a gross violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the Nigerian Criminal Code and Cyber Crime Law.”