Imo Diasporas Support for Senator Hope Uzodimma 2019, has hailed the Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma over his promise to ensure free and fair local government elections in the state and for the inauguration of Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC),with a charge that members should use their position to strengthen democracy at the grassroots.
The group in a statement by its coordinator, Chief Nnanna Okere in Finland from where he coordinates the activities of the organization in Europe and beyond, expressed confidence in the administration of Hope Uzodimma, insisting that the former Senator would re-engineer grassroots development in the state and would also ensure free and fair local government elections unlike in the recent past when such elections are marred by irregularities and corruption.
Recall that Governor Hope Uzodimma recently inaugurated the board of ISIEC appointing Mrs. Pauline Onyeka as its chairman and tasked the electoral body to go and strengthen the state electoral infrastructure that will conduct and produce credible elections in Imo State both now and in the future.
Performing the inauguration at the Sam Mbakwe Executive Chambers,Government House, Owerri recently, Governor Uzodimma said the new ISIEC is expected to “produce Chairmen and Councillors with political integrity, strong in character irrespective of political party, local government area or council.” He harped on the need for credible and reliable data for future elections and other statistical needs of the state, especially as it relates to population.
Reacting to this development, Imo Diasporas Support for Senator Hope Uzodinma 2019, a group that canvassed vigorously for his election as governor in 2019, said that the governor has demonstrated leadership which he was well known for even before he became governor by directing the electoral body to put in place infrastructure that would ensure free and fair local government elections, saying that such structure would ensure that only credible and acceptable persons are elected to pilot the affairs of the state at the grassroots where most of the people in the state reside.
Chief Okere also commended the governor for his determination to provide funding and other logistics that will help the electoral body to produce credible and consistent elections that will stand the test of time. While urging the new electoral body to be upright in their conducts and also not to disappoint Governor Hope Uzodimma, he also expressed satisfaction that Uzodimma appointed a woman to head the commission.
He said that by the appointment of Mrs. Pauline Onyeka as the chairman of the commission, the governor has demonstrated that he is gender sensitive even as he noted that Mrs Onyeka has become the first woman in Nigeria to head a state independent electoral commission, urging the woman not to disappoint the governor and Imo people. Chief Okere urged the chairman and other members of the commission to discharge their duties without fear or favour.
The die-hard supporter of Senator Hope Uzodimma’s governorship ambition in 2019 agreed with the governor that if the state do not strengthen the democratic system at the local government area level, the political system will continue to be confronted with challenges in the state..