By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Leadership of Ihedioha Youth Movement has dismissed as false the purported endorsement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.

A media report had claimed that the youth wing of the Ihedioha campaign structure had given its backing to Anyanwu for the governorship contest.

Rising from an emergency National Leadership meeting at its Secretariat in Owerri, the group in a release, warned politicians to desist from engaging in any form of criminal impersonation of its group.

The release was signed by the group’s State Coordinator, Engr. Rex Okoro; State Secretary, Hon. Magnus Amadi and State Publicity Secretary, Comrade Chinemerem Nwaimo.

According to the group, the Youth Movement is borne out of the need to champion the rebuilding of the state to save it from criminal tendencies such as sponsors of anti-democratic tendencies.

“We are an organized group with an established leadership channel. Thus, any form of endorsement coming from us must have our leader’s imprimatur clearly engraved on it, else, it is a caricature and not coming from us! Such a move must be seen as an orchestrated criminal impersonation against us and must be treated as such.

“Again, we make bold to state that Ihedioha Youth Movement has contributed immensely to the growth and development of Imo State via our remarkable partnership with our parent body, The Rebuild Imo Organization as well as the PDP.

“We wish to express utter disgust, following reports of purported endorsement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, one of the governorship candidates for the November 11, 2023 election in Imo State by a group of impersonators parading as members of IYM.

“It is important to clearly state without equivocation that IHEDIOHA YOUTH MOVEMENT did not at anytime hold any meeting with Senator Anyanwu at any location whatsoever and NEVER endorsed him.

“It is the height of criminality, for a person supposedly vying for such a coveted position in the state to preside over such a charade all in a bid to attach credibility to his aspiration. This is unacceptable.

Thus, as the Imo State 2023 electioneering is on course, we wish to reiterate that IYM is driven by integrity, capacity and patriotism for the development of the state”, the statement reads.

The Zonal Coordinators, as well as Coordinators of the 27 Local Government Chapters were said to be in attendance in the meeting.