Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said he is willing to congratulate whoever emerges the winner of the governorship election in the state, if he loses.
Okorocha stated this in a chat with journalists after casting his at Ogboko Ward 2 in Ideato South Local Government Area of the state.
“I will congratulate whoever wins the election. Why not? But, first, let us do things properly,” he said.
The governor commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the state for the smooth conduct of the election.
He said: “So far, the election is quite peaceful, especially in Ogboko Ward 2, where I voted. As we would expect, this is a violence-free area in the history of Imo State politics. There has never been any record of violence here. But this cannot be said about places that are notorious for election violence, such as Mbutu in Aboh-Mbaise LGA.
“I have heard about political thugs hired by some politicians to cause mayhem in some polling units. The same thing is going on at places like Ohaji-Egbema, Oguta, Ezinihite and Ngo-Okpala, to mention a few. We must condemn election violence in all ramifications.”
Okorocha advocated for a judicial panel to look into the causes of election violence in the state.
The governor, who is the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate in the governorship election, commended the security agencies for their handling of security related incidents of the election.
“I learnt that some people in fake military and police uniforms, as well as a man found with AK47 rifles were arrested by security men.
“If such things had happened during last presidential and National Assembly elections, things would have been much better.”
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