Senator AthanAchonu the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the last Imo governorship election, has expressed hope that he will reclaim his stolen mandate, thus banking on the judiciary to make that happen.

He insisted that he won last year’s governorship election, defeating the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma. He claimed to have been denied victory by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In this interview with FRED EZEH, culled from Saturday Sun, he appealed for calm, assuring Imo people that justice will be served before the end of this year.

You participated in the last Imo governorship election. Could you please share your experience with Nigerians?

It’s the Nigerian factor that affected the credibility of that election and thwarted the desire of Imo people. INEC did so much disservice to the people of Imo State. INEC performance in that election was below expectation. They practically sold their conscience and disregarded all the rules and guidelines they set for the election. They obviously shifted the goal post at the middle of the game. They practically denied us our victory even when it was obvious that we won the election. INEC devices and election results indicated so. Local and international observers also confirmed that the election went the way of Labour Party. Sadly, INEC said otherwise. All effort to prove our case before the announcement of the results didn’t work. But we are in court, and we are proving our case before the members of the tribunal. We are optimistic that justice will come our way at the end of the process.

Many have said the Imo election was like a do-or-die contest. Why was it like that?

It was because the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma, wants to hold the political power by all means possible. He never wanted anyone to look into his operations because he has cockroaches in his cupboard. So he needed to retain the political power by all means so he can continue to loot the commonwealth of Imo people.

What would you have done if you had been declared governor?

Exactly what Alex Otti is doing in neighbouring Abia State is what would have been going on in the state. The world can see the kind of transformation and development that are going on in Abia State. That’s exactly what we would have been doing now in Imo. The state would have been witnessing massive and unprecedented infrastructural and human capital development. But it’s not over yet. With the help of God, Imo people would smile again.

What do you make of his (Obi) recent visit to Atiku which many observers claimed was for a possible alliance?

I can’t speak about the visit because I wasn’t at the meeting. But remember that politics is a very dynamic game. Buhari and Tinubu were not in the same political party until 2015 when they joined forces to unseat former President Goodluck Jonathan. Anything is possible in Nigeria politics. So don’t be disappointed or surprised in whatever you see in Nigerian political space. However, I don’t foreclose any merger consideration for both people and parties.

What’s the state of the Labour Party in Imo State?

Labour Party is the only party in Imo State. It’s the party of the people. People see hope in the party and they have embraced it. Apart from the appointees of the state government, the rest people in the state are members of Labour Party. I am sure that majority of the appointees of the government are members of Labour Party even though they might not proclaim it openly because of certain reasons, and we understand the reasons.

What are your hopes or chances in the judiciary?

There was never a connect between the Senate and Nigerians. The disconnect has been there and it’s widening, and I will tell you why. When someone that wasn’t the choice of the people is given the mandate, what would you expect? Most of the people in the Senate were never elected by the people. They either bought their way there through INEC officials or through the judiciary. So, you don’t expect them to serve the interest of the people. Their interest and their paymasters become their priorities.

So how can we fix these challenges?

Nigerians would be the ones to do that. They have to rise and say enough is enough! And that can only be done through the ballot so it can be legitimate and globally recognized.

But Nigerians obviously rose up in 2023…

Yeah, but they have to persist and continue. If what you want did not come through in 2023, please continue to push. That the first attempt didn’t work does not mean you should relax and give up. Giving up will be more disastrous. It will strengthen the boldness of the evil ones to continue to do their evil.

What words do you have for your supporters and Imo people in general?

Imo people should keep their hope and confidence alive because a better tomorrow will come sooner than expected. I can assure them that before the end of this year, the stolen mandate will be recovered. The needed change they voted for will come. I am very optimistic that I will be governor of Imo state by end of this year.

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