A former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha has denied casting aspersions on supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Ihedioha explained that those he referred as sabotuers were members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the South East who were working in cahoot with other parties against the PDP.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, the former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives asserted that he could not have derided the members of the Labour Party and supporters of Obi as sabotuers.
He described Obi as his long time friend with whom he shares close political affinity hence could not have been referring to his supporters as sabotuers.
Ihedioha blamed those he termed as fifth columnists for manipulating his speech in Ghana during the Iri-Ji Mbaise festival to suit their mischievous intent and bring him into head-on collision with the Labour Party candidate.
The statement reads in part; “It is unfortunate that his well-intentioned speech which addressed the specific issue of happenings within his own political party was, again, manipulated by fifth columnists to suit their mischievous scheme of bringing him on a collision with Mr. Peter Obi, whose unwavering political philosophy of “Taking Back Nigeria” from the draconian stranglehold of the failed ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, he wholeheartedly shares.
“His Excellency respects the aspirations and passion of members of other political parties, even as he remains committed to the cause of his own political party and it is not in his character to cast aspersions on those who hold contrary political opinion.”
