For what it said was her inglorious role in the conduct of the 2023 National and House of Assembly elections in Imo State, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has renewed its call for the removal of Sylvia Agu, the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner ahead of the November 11 governorship election.
The election pits incumbent Governor, Hope Uzodimma against the PDP’s Samuel Anyanwu and the Labour Party’s Athan Achonu in what is a formidable line up seen yet in the state.
The state has been plunged into a labour crisis following organised labour protests that came under attack from thugs with accusations that they were sponsored by the incumbent governor.
The police fired the commissioner of police in the state, Mohammed Barde, for his role in the attacks on the Labour group, attacks the governor absolved himself of.
While hailing the redeployment of the State police commissioner, the PDP said that should be extended to Agu, whose role in previous elections has left a sour taste.
A statement on Monday by Dabo Ologunagba, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, called on Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, “to immediately redeploy the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Sylvia Agu, for allegedly being compromised to manipulate the November 11, 2023, governorship elections in Imo States in favour of the All-Progressives Congress, APC.
“The PDP urges the INEC Chairman to take a cue from the Inspector General of Police who redeployed the Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States in response to the outcry and demands of the people for neutrality in the November 11, 2023, governorship election in these States.
“Yakubu should forestall an impending crisis in the Imo State election by heeding the insistent outcry, Petitions and Protests by the people of Imo State, Political Parties, Civil Society Organizations as well as Ohaneze Youth Council for the removal of the Prof. Sylvia Agu who has been allegedly compromised by the APC.”
The party stressed that the “people of Imo State cannot accept any electoral process with Prof. Agu as REC, given her reported role in the brazen manipulation of the 2023 National and House of Assembly elections in Imo State in favour of the APC, which is still in the public domain.
“The redeployment of Sylvia Agu out of Imo State is therefore the only way to restore confidence in the electoral process, guarantee a credible election and avert a crisis in the State.
“This is especially so as there are very disturbing allegations in the public space of clandestine meetings between Prof. Agu and certain APC agents said to have been facilitated by her close relative, who is an APC national officer, ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State.”
The PDP called on the INEC Chairman to note that the integrity of an election principally lies in the confidence of the electorate in the electoral process.
It said Agu has lost the rectitude as Resident Electoral Commissioner and should not be part of the conduct of the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
“Her continuing stay in office as Imo REC is vexatious and a recipe for crisis,” the PDP said.
The PDP restated its demand on the INEC Chairman to immediately redeploy Agu out of Imo State so as to restore the confidence of the people and the integrity of the electoral process.
