News Desk
As the countdown to the November 11 governorship election in Imo continues, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the election, Senator Athan Achonu, has described as insulting, the allegation that he collected the sum of one million dollars from Governor Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to function as a placeholder in the election.
Achonu spoke during the week when he played host to senior journalists in Abuja.
He wondered why people would insinuate that a man of his political and economic status would give away the mandate given to him by his party and betray the trust and confidence reposed in him for mere one million US dollars.
He asserted that if he needed to play the alleged role and throwing away his integrity, he would be asking for 100million dollars.
“Alleged $1million US dollars collection from Hope to stand as a placeholder is an insult. I have integrity. I have the connection and all it takes to be Imo governor. So, why play the role of a placeholder’’, he queried.
He disclosed that he accepted to run for the position so that he can clean Imo and free it from the clutches of maladministration.
He decried the spate of insecurity in the state and vowed to return the state to its past glory of a flourishing tourism where the people will have the confidence to return home and invest.
“I want to govern Imo in order to secure the state. I will create an enabling environment for business and tourism to flourish.’’
The ‘Aku ruo ulo’ exponent further disclosed that he has been championing the think home campaign where he canvassed the need for Igbo businessmen to return home and invest.
He decried the spate of insecurity in the south east and opined that he had already developed plans and strategies to curtail insecurity in the zone.
The Labour Party candidate disclosed that the forests where the hoodlums hibernate to terrorize the south east are known and that he had even espoused the idea to the Ohanaeze on how to clear the swathe of forest and build an industrial complex there.
He stated that he is even ready to give out his construction equipment for the task.
He also promised that he would tackle insecurity by conducting local government elections and grant local government autonomy which he hoped will bring economic empowerment and prosperity to the people thereby reducing crimes to the barest minimum.
He bemoaned the treatments meted out to the south east states by the federal government, saying that some positions in the government offices are not open to the south easterners.
EMMA OKEREH
Techrectory
