Ahead of Guber Poll, Imo Elders Say No Candidate Has Been Endorsed

•Insist the electorate will decide

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Imo state, the council of elders in the state have denied endorsing any candidate.

The council of concerned elders described such purported endorsement as undemocratic, unconstitutional and does not represent the position of Imo elders for now, with regards to the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

A statement on behalf of the concerned council of elders, that was signed by Chief Nicholas Adiele Oparaku stated: “For clarity, Imo elders have not endorsed any candidate neither have the elders delegated or authorised any person to issue any form of endorsement on any governorship candidate for now.

“To set the record straight, elders in Imo State have been reviewing the state of affairs of Imo State and in line with the fears, anxieties and apprehension of the people of the state with a view to finding ways to salvage the situation and return inclusiveness, peace, harmony and political stability in the state.”

It added: “As elders, the focus must be solely on the fortune, interest, wellbeing and rights of the entire 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,” they stated.

The statement noted that it was imperative at the moment that the elders preserve their integrity as the non-partisan conscience of the State in the search for direction at this critical time.

As elders, they said, “we 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.”