The member representing Ideato Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, has said that any day he leaves the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party will die in Imo State.
Ugochinyere spoke at a press conference in Owerri, Thursday, after the killing of about 26 persons in the Arondizuogu communities of his constituency, about a fortnight ago.
Ikenga, who is the only PDP national lawmaker from Imo State, criticised some persons in the state who had treated him unfairly.
He however warned that he wouldn’t hesitate to quit the party if the unfair treatment doesn’t stop, saying he had a solid structure that PDP in the state should not lose.
“I have a structure that has a member in every family in Ideato Federal Constituency. I won my election while in exile. If there is anyone that should be begged, it is me. If I pull my structure today, PDP will collapse in ten seconds and I’m not boasting about it.
“Have we been treated fairly? No. Are we worried about them? No. Are we going to move? Yes, if they don’t treat us fairly”, he stated.
Further, he said “I have not been treated well despite my loyalty to the party. If they continue to treat us unfairly, we will move because we are the beautiful bride. I’m still in the PDP and we are not making a decision to move out but if you don’t treat us well, we will move because I will not go through that crisis that we passed through the last time. We will move to anywhere we will have peace. If I pull out, PDP will collapse in Ideato in ten seconds”, Ikenga said referring to himself and supporters.
According to him, insecurity had worsened in Imo and called for funding of vigilante groups by the state government as part of measures to tackle the situation in Ideato.
Ikenga disclosed that he had rallied financial support from friends to assist the bereaved families of those killed in Ideato, after donating N5 million to them as aid.
He said “security and protection of lives is the primary responsibility of the government. By now I expected that the state governor would have come to Ideato; we expected there would have been relief materials by now; you don’t need to like my face before you come”, he submitted.
However, the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Strategy, and Public Orientation, Chief Declan Emelumba in his reaction denied the allegations.
Emelumba said “they are not true, but at any length, he should start with account of what he has attracted to his federal constituency. He was elected to attract federal roads as a legislator, how many has he attracted. He is not even qualified as a federal lawmaker to talk because he is yet to attract any project, he is just grandstanding.
“The Government is doing everything we should do to ensure that the people are taken care of. The erosion at Umuchima, it is the state government that is doing it. Let him show us the one he has attracted”, Emelumba said.
