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By Chidi Nkwopara, OWERRI.

Elder statesman and former Minister of Establishment and Management Services, Chief Innocent Diala Nwoga has advised those challenging the victory of Chief Emeka Ihedioha in the recent gubernatorial election in Imo State, to “have a rethink and allow the wish of the citizenry to stand”.

Chief Nwoga, who spoke in Owerri, at a gathering of serious stakeholders of the Rebuild Imo Project, also advised them to peacefully withdraw the cases they filed against the Governor-elect.

Ihedioha

“Much as the people who failed in the last governorship election will argue that they have a constitutional right to seek redress in court of competent jurisdiction, I will, however, appeal to them to have a rethink and peacefully withdraw the cases they filed against the Governor-elect, Chief Emeka Ihedioha”, Chief Nwoga said.

While describing the litigations currently pending in court as “unnecessary distraction”, Nwoga, however, urged Imolites to join hands with Ihedioha in the huge task of rebuilding the ruins which Imo State has been reduced to, in the past eight years.

“Honestly, we have been in this state in the past eight years. We have equally witnessed the horrific governance and massive destruction of all government establishment, which has set us decades behind”, Nwoga said.

He then urged every patriotic Imolite, who “feels the eight-year horror unleashed on the citizenry, as well as the failed but well-crafted project of foisting (Chief Rochas) Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, on the rest of us, to bury their grievances and support the incoming Ihedioha administration”.

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Nwoga described the Imo Governor-elect as “the choice of the people and one with the competence and relevant experience to run its affairs”.

Continuing, Nwoga said: “Chief Ihedioha has the competence and experience to turn this state around for good. I have no doubt that he also has the capacity to appraise issues and he is very sensitive to the plight of the people. Every right-thinking person should support him considering the efforts to restore and rebuild the state.”

Chief Nwoga, who doubles as the pioneer Imo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, opined that the distractions against Ihedioha will not do any good to either the state or the people.

Supporting what Chief Nwoga said, the immediate past Governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, said he was virtually distracted throughout his four-year tenure.

“I was virtually in court for four years. It was a huge distraction and I do not wish the Governor-elect to pass through the same sad experience as I did”, Ohakim said.

While reminding the audience that he contested for the gubernatorial seat with Chief Ihedioha, in the last election, Ohakim also said that he has no intention of dragging the Governor-elect to court.

“We should allow him to concentrate and rebuild the state. All the solar-powered boreholes and water schemes, for instance, which I handed over to Okorocha, have since become comatose. The story is the same in all the sectors and this is not good for our state”, Ohakim said.