By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
As criminals and bandits continue to unleash mayhem in several parts of the country, the leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has raised suspicion on the position of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, against demands by well-meaning Nigerians for the establishment of state police.
The party in statement on Thursday by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that his opposition to the popular demand has exposed his sympathy for terrorists and bandits who are killing, kidnapping and ravaging the nation including his state.
PDP predicated its position on Gov. Uzodimma’s interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, wherein he attempted to justify President Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to wake up to the statutory demand of his office and take expected steps to rescue Nigerians from terrorists and bandits.
The party said that Governor Uzodimma’s anti-people stance against efforts to establish state policing system has exposed his insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians in the face of manifest failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled federal security apparatus to protect the people.
PDP said that It is not surprised that Uzodimma, could be justifying the failures of the present government at the expense of the lives of other Nigerians, including the people of Imo state.
“Nigerians are now seeing the faces of the APC leaders who have sympathy for terrorism and should hold such individuals responsible for the activities of such deviants in our country.
‘Governor Uzodimma, as a former legislator, knows that the Second Schedule (Exclusive Legislative List) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) vests the operation of the police, the military and other armed services; the control of arms and ammunitions as well as criminal records among other statutory paraphernalia of national security on the Federal Government and not the states.”the party stated.
The PDP cautioned Uzodimma against politicizing the current security crisis in Imo state which according to PDP, was occasioned by his mismanagement of the sensibilities of the citizens.
“Governor Uzodimma should end his pursuits of imaginary traducers and blame nobody but himself and his APC for the crisis in Imo state.
‘Our party is grief-stricken over the devastation that Governor Uzodimma and the APC have brought to Imo state and urges the people to continue to be peaceful and law-abiding despite the provocations by APC thugs who have been causing mayhem in the state” said PDP.
