Concerned Imo State elders have denied the purported endorsement of any candidate in the November 11 governorship election in the state.
There were reports in some sections of the media suggesting that elders from Imo State have endorsed the state governor Hope Uzodinma, for a second term in office.
But a statement jointly signed Chief Nicholas Adiele Oparaku and Elder Isaac Nnorom Okoronkwo, on behalf of ‘Concerned Elders in Imo State’, described the purported endorsement as “undemocratic, unconstitutional and does not represent the position of Imo elders for now, with regards to the coming governorship election in the state.”
The statement added that Imo elders have not endorsed any candidate or have “delegate or authorise any person to issue any form of endorsement on any governorship candidate for now.”
It stated that elders in state have been reviewing the state of affairs of Imo State with a view to finding ways to salvage the situation and return inclusiveness, peace, harmony and political stability in the state.
According to the elders, their focus is on the fortune, interest, wellbeing and rights of the people of Imo State, irrespective of political, sectional, religious, clan and partisan affiliations and not on a particular individual or political party.
“The reported endorsement of a particular candidate by certain individuals purporting such to be the resolution of elders of the state is therefore embarrassing as it portrays the elders as being partisan and politically compromised.
“Such endorsement donors must note that the choice of the governor of Imo State resides with the people in an election.
“As elders, our duty at this moment is to ensure that the people enjoy the free hand to elect a governor of their choice without any form of coercion,” the statement added.
It noted that elders preserve their integrity as the non-partisan conscience of the state in the search for direction, stating that as elders, they “have a duty to preserve the democratic tenets of fairness, unhindered participation, right to aspiration and freedom of the people to choose their leaders without recourse to partisan coercion, blackmail and promotion of the narrow-minded interest of a particular individual.
“What should concern us more is how to join forces with other well-meaning leaders to save our state from the perils of insecurity and hardship instead of engaging in distracting political voyage that is outside of our mandate as elders.”
