Ngor-Okpala Bye-election: Uncertainty, Insecurity Rise In Imo

Ahead of the bye-elections scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 26, 2022, to fill the vacant seat of Ngor-Okpala State Constituency in Imo State House of Assembly, there appears to be atmosphere of tension and insecurity felt in the air by the residents.

On Monday, February 21, Ikedi James, the media aide to the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Okenze Blyden Amajirionwu reportedly escaped an attempt which was either to assassinate or kidnap him.

He said: “I was waiting for my driver to pick me up after I finished up at the party secretariat; as I was waiting, I noticed a jetty car stopped along the road and the four doors opened at the same time with four young men popping out of the car, as they started coming towards my direction a security vehicle came out of the government house and stopped somewhere along the road and these four men entered into their car and zoomed off but when the security vehicle from government house left, the same jetty car with the four men turned at the government house roundabout and started towards me and stopped and when they stopped I noticed one of them brought out something that looked like a gun and charged towards me, it was at that point that I took to my heels and ran into the ‘Vision House’ compound. When it was obvious to them that I had been out of their reach they quickly made away into their car and released a shot in the air while they fled.”

As a media aide to Amajirionwu, the APC candidate, James was said to have been very much involved in intense media campaign, marketing his principal, and while questioning the moral stand of the opposition party, the PDP in having a candidate.

Uzodimma’s Alleged Interference in the Poll

Meanwhile, the state governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, have been accused of making plans to manipulate the election process so as to favour the APC.

Some sources said one of the governor’s strategies is to use hoodlums who pose as security operatives to intimidate voters, to enable his cohorts rig the election.

“Their aim here is to scare voters away from trooping out en mass to carry out their civic responsibilities for fear that APC’s candidate Blyden Amajirionwu has already been rejected even in his Ntu Village,” a source stated.

INEC Preparation For the Election 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated that 11 political parties would participate in Saturday’s bye- election.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Francis Ezeonu while briefing newsmen at the commission’s secretariat on Tuesday disclosed that a total number of 94, 040 voters are to vote in 193 polling units in the Ngor-Okpala LGA.