The governor asserted that the assault on the INEC headquarters and the killings in the state were motivated by politics.

Collins Opurozor, spokesman for the Imo PDP, issued a statement on Monday evening in response to the governor's remark, claiming that Uzodimma's poor governance has exacerbated insecurity in the state.

The PDP argued that the governor's apology reveals his failure to keep the state's citizens secure, and that Uzodinma can no longer fulfil his campaign pledges.

The statement said, "The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State has examined the statement issued by the state's governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, following the attack on the INEC office in Owerri last night." According to him, individuals determined to win elections by whatever means were responsible for the attack.

Senator Uzodimma's persistent inability to ensure the safety of the Imo people is, to say the least, exposed by this cynical and dishonest justification. This governor can no longer justify his incapacity to meet the fundamental expectation of political leadership, which is the protection of lives and property.

What else characterises political desperation more than a man who finished fourth in an election but usurped the people's mandate through a judicial theft and now considers himself their feudal lord?

From the first week of this year's January to the second week of this year's December, Senator Uzodinma continued to remind the people of Imo that his adversaries were responsible for the state's violence and destruction. He has not identified his opponents. In addition, he has failed to bring them to justice. Instead, he repeats the same thing every day in an attempt to conceal his failings and gain sympathy.

Extremely regrettable, according to the PDP, is Uzodimma's lack of sincerity and real commitment to tackle the escalating insecurity in the state.

The valleys of Orsu, the woodlands of Orlu, and the rocky hills of Okigwe, according to the party, have become safe havens for terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers.

They added: "In light of Senator Uzodimma's lack of sincerity and genuine commitment to addressing the escalating insecurity in the state, the valleys of Orsu, the forests of Orlu, and the rocky hills of Okigwe have become safe havens for terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers who now make life miserable for the people of Imo.

"Our party believes that the insecurity in Imo is a direct result of the catastrophic failure of governance in the state under Senator Uzodimma's unpopular government,"

"Prior to this latest assault on the INEC office in the state, those who came to power through the back door had made several earlier desperate attempts to undermine INEC's ability to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in the state.

"First, INEC was subjected to a vicious legal assault in the form of a secret court action initiated in the state by the same usurpers. They wished to prevent the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a technology they felt would foil their scheme to control the upcoming elections.

"Second, the INEC database was attacked, and tens of thousands of phoney, foreign, and nonexistent identities and photos were smuggled into the voter register, notably for Omuma Ward." That is what Nigerians now refer to as the Omuma magic!

"It is revealing not only that Senator Hope Uzodinma's hometown is Omuma, but also that the government in Imo arrested and unjustly detained the INEC officers who were accused of revealing the massive voter registration fraud in Omuma."

"Our party therefore continues to condemn these legal, cyber, and physical attacks on INEC and requests that security agencies delve beneath the surface to establish any possible connections between the recent attack on the INEC office in Owerri and the secret court action against INEC and an earlier attack on the INEC voter register." Those who have been convicted of one offence cannot submit a disclaimer against the others.

"Our party calls on the people of Imo to turn out in large numbers on Saturday, December 17 to welcome our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who will be in Imo for the launch of our presidential campaign." As long as God sits on the throne, the opponents of democracy who seek for the 2023 general elections in Imo State to be cancelled will inevitably fail, and the will of the Imo people will prevail."