Who is Athan Achonu, the LP Gov'ship Candidate Who Wants to Unseat Uzodimma in Imo?
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 6-year-experience covering politics in Nigeria
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Owerri, Imo state - Athan Nneji Achonu is the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the coming Imo state poll.
The election will be held on Saturday, November 11. Achonu will be contesting against 16 other candidates, including the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma. His (Achonu's) deputy is 44-year-old Nwulu-Onyeulo Anthony.
Source: Facebook
In this report, Legit.ng writes about some facts to know about Achonu.
1) A former senator
In 2015, Achonu was elected into the senate to represent Imo North on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, he was sacked by the Appeal Court in December of that year.
Benjamin Uwajumogu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the poll.
2) Sole candidate with disability
Achonu, 64, is popularly known as the one-armed senator or the 'One Arm General'.
In September, Achonu alleged that some members of the opposition party in Imo state are campaigning against him over his physical condition of one arm.
Achonu made the allegation while speaking in an interview on Arise Television.
According to him, the opposition is using his physical defect to campaign against him ahead of the state governorship poll on Saturday.
3) Believes in his WASSCE certificate
Legit.ng understands that Achonu and his lieutenant, Anthony, submitted their First School Leaving Certificate and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking in October on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Achonu said his secondary school certificate is more than enough for him to govern the state.
He said:
"I don’t have any certificate in Agronomy. My School Cert is more than enough to govern Imo state."
Off-cycle elections: Police announces restriction
In a related article, Legit.ng reported that Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), disclosed that there will be no vehicular movement as well as the movement of canoes, ships, and other means of transportation via waterways in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states.
The directive takes effect from Friday, November 10.
Imo election: 'NNPP candidate not a pushover'
Legit.ng also reported that Adekunle Razaq Aderibigbe, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Lagos state, said Uche Odunzeh, the candidate of the party in the coming Imo state governorship election, “stands a chance of gaining more acceptance and support” towards the poll.
Speaking in an interview with Legit.ng, Aderibigbe said Odunzeh is a strong contender in the upcoming poll.
INEC pledges to upload results on IReV
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that INEC made a strong pledge ahead of the Saturday, November 11, off-cycle elections.
INEC, with a few days to the governorship polls in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states, assured Nigerians that polling unit results will be uploaded in real-time on the Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Imo election: "We'll maintain strict neutrality", IGP
Also, Legit.ng reported that Egbetokun announced the redeployment of the Imo state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mohammed Barde.
The announcement was made in a statement on Sunday, October 5, by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force's Public Relations Officer (PRO).
Opinion poll predicts victory for Uzodimma
Still on the coming Imo election, an opinion poll predicted victory for Uzodimma.
The 'scientific' poll conducted by the pro-democracy civil society group Justice and Democracy for Development (JD4D) predicted that Governor Uzodimma is likely to win the upcoming Imo state governorship election.
The survey released on Friday, November 3, which involved random sampling and in-interviews across all 27 local government areas in the state, revealed that Governor Uzodimma is leading the race with the support of 70% of the respondents.
Source: Legit.ng
