With less than 24 hours remaining until the Imo State governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally requested the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify Governor Hope Uzodimma, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
In a statement released on Friday by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party claimed that Uzodimma should face disqualification for allegedly supporting a video aimed at misleading the electorate and tarnishing the image of the PDP’s candidate.
A viral video circulating on social media on Thursday purported that PDP’s candidate, Sam Anyanwu, had urged his supporters to vote for Uzodimma.
Ologunagba emphasized that Anyanwu remains undeterred and fully committed to victory, dismissing the video as fabricated. He criticized Uzodimma for allegedly resorting to last-minute tactics to undermine the PDP’s candidate.
Expressing concern, Ologunagba noted that the creators of the deceptive video attempted to portray it as a legitimate news production of the TVC. He praised the prompt response of the TVC management in disassociating from and condemning the unauthorized use of the TVC name, logo, and branding in an effort to deceive the people of Imo State.
The PDP reiterated that Anyanwu is actively participating in the governorship race and urged the people of Imo State to disregard the misleading video.
The statement read, “If anyone should withdraw from the race, it should be Governor Uzodimma, who has evidently shown a lack of commitment to participating in a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent election.”
The PDP called on INEC to disqualify the APC and Governor Uzodimma, citing their alleged involvement in the creation and dissemination of the deceptive video as a serious violation of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the Nigerian Criminal Code, and the Cyber Crime Law.
