Gov Hope Uzodinma

The Labour Party (LP) has taken a swipe at the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma after he pledged to assist 4,000 youths of the state to secure jobs in Europe and Canada before December 2023.

TORI reports that Uzodinma, who is contesting for re-election on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, gave the pledge at a campaign event on Thursday ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the state.

While addressing the residents, the governor vowed to assist interested Imo indigenes who want to relocate to Europe or Canada with the relevant employable skill sets that would ease their entry and adaptation into life there.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Friday, the spokesman of the LP Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, said the promise by Governor Uzodimma is an insult to the state.

Tanko said that it is a deceitful move by the governor who has not been able to provide basic employment to the youth within the state to promise jobs for them in Europe.

He added that the party’s governorship candidate in Imo, Senator Athan Achonu, would rather than make fake promises, would ensure to provide jobs within the state.

He said: “The Athan Achonu governorship manifesto tried to look into the issue of the youth. It’s not this particular issue of giving job opportunities to imolites young boys and girls abroad.

“That is total deceit because how many of them have you employed back home to build the state and you are telling them that you are going to give them tickets, that is insulting.

“Imolites are people who want to build their state. they don’t look for handouts and become a refugee in another man’s land.

“First of all, we want to ensure that we bring dignity and integrity to Imolites, making sure they have job opportunities within to build their state. By doing so, there would be a collective effort and responsibility to move the state forward.”

Also responding to their level of confidence in INEC, in the area of transparency, Tanko said the LP members and the entire people of Imo are hopeful that the INEC will right the wrongs they recorded during the presidential elections.

He said: “INEC has a lot of work to do. They need to show that what they did to the Nigerian people in the 2023 election, especially the Presidential election, was a mistake they are willing to correct, even though we are still hoping that the supreme court will right the wrong.

“Coming from the fact that the same INEC almost messed up the same election that brought the present governor of Imo state into power, Imo state at the moment already cannot afford any disjointed election.

“Every voter must have their voter’s card and all the electronic machines must work. Otherwise, we would have another terrible situation on our hands.”

Tanko further added that the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal did not in any way dampened the spirit of the supporters of the party.

He said instead, the ruling has exhumed the inner mind of the Nigerian youth.