From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja, Stanley Uzoaru and George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

The latest attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters at Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, Imo State, has pit Governor Hope Uzodimma against the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A police officer and three of the gunmen died in the operation, while two others were arrested.

It was the third attack on the commission’s facilities in Imo State in less than two weeks following the earlier attacks on our Orlu LGA office on Thursday, December 1, 2022 and Oru West LGA office on Sunday, December 4, 2022

Governor Uzodimma, who visited the scene, expressed concern over the attack, saying it was politically motivated.  He linked the ugly incident to the unprincipled activities of desperate politicians in the state. The reason for the attack, the governor said, was to make the state ungovernable and prevent the 2023 elections from holding in the state.

He, however, vowed that hoodlums would not have their way in the state as security agents were up against their antics.

“You can see why INEC is the target if you corroborate it with the past where I had continuously said that what is happening in Imo State is politically inclined and that Imo State will be ungovernable and there will be no election in Imo State.

“However, security agencies are prepared. INEC is prepared, and there will be an election in Nigeria. I was told the majority of them who came on this journey are lying critically ill, some are neutralised and others fled with gunshot injuries. The police are ever committed. The other sister agencies are also committed to ensuring security in the state.”

The governor also assured residents of a peaceful Christmas celebration, in spite of the distractions even as he charged eligible voters to go out and collect their PVCs.

“I urge the people of the state to turn out to collect their Permanent Voter Cards because the card is key to the elections we are looking forward to. If you don’t have your voter card, you will not be able to vote,” he said.

•PDP carpets governor

The PDP, however, carpeted Governor Uzodimma for attributing the attack on desperate politicians.

A statement by Mr. Collins Oporuzor said Governor Uzodimma had consistently blamed desperate politicians for his failure to secure lives and property of Imo people.

The party noted that Uzodimma has also not mentioned names of those involved in the attacks  even when he promised to do so since 2020.

The statement read: “From the first week of January this year to the second week of December, Senator Uzodimma has continued to tell Imo people that his enemies are behind the carnage and ravages going on in the state. He has failed to name who are the enemies. He has also failed to bring them to book. Instead, he repeats the same thing day after day with the intention of hiding his failures and getting sympathisers.

“Imo PDP regrets that, in view of Senator Uzodimma’s lack of sincerity and genuine commitment to addressing the festering insecurity in the state, the valleys of Orsu, the forests of Orlu and the rocky hills of Okigwe have now become safe havens for terrorists, bandits and kidnappers who now make life a misery for Imo people.

“Our party deems it very important to remind Imo people and Nigerians that, before this latest attack on INEC office in the state, there had been some other desperate efforts by those who came to power through the back door to undermine the capacity of INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the State.

“First, INEC came under a very brutal legal attack through a secret court action instituted in the state by those same usurpers. They had sought to stop the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a technology they fear would frustrate their plot to manipulate the forthcoming elections.

“Second, INEC database was attacked and the voter register massively compromised, particularly for Omuma Ward, where tens of thousands of fake, alien and non-existent names and photographs were smuggled into the register. That is what Nigerians now refer to as the Omuma magic!

“It is telling, not just that Omuma is the hometown of Senator Hope Uzodimma, but also that the regime in Imo quickly arrested and arbitrarily detained the INEC officials who were accused of bringing to public knowledge the monumental voter register fraud in Omuma.

“Our party, therefore, continues to condemn these legal, cyber and physical attacks on INEC, and asks security agencies to probe beneath the surface to establish possible links which the secret court action against INEC and earlier attack on INEC voter register might have with the recent attack on INEC Office in Owerri. Those found guilty of one cannot file a disclaimer over the others.

“Our party enjoins Imo people to turn out en mass on Saturday, December 17 to receive our presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who will be in Imo for the flag off of our Presidential campaign. So far as God is on the throne, the enemies of democracy who want the 2023 general elections not to hold in Imo State will definitely come to grief, and the wishes of Imo people will prevail.”

•How attack occurred

An eyewitness said the hoodlum who were in large numbers shot sporadically and engaged  security details manning the office in a gun duel.

“The hoodlums threw Improvise Explosive Devices (IEDs) into the premises which damaged part of the building and burnt some other properties including two vehicles,” he said.

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Barde, said the gunmen were repelled by a reinforced team, who were on patrol.

“Immediately they got to Control Roundabout, the gunmen threw dynamite into our vehicle and were able to kill two of our men.”