The administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has requested that all hotel owners and managers in the city of Owerri reserve their rooms exclusively for government use ahead of the upcoming gubernatorial election.
In a memo released on November 4, 2023, Barr. Jerry Egbule Egemba, Commissioner for the State Ministry of Tourism, stated that the government intended to rent and occupy every hotel room in the state, regardless of size or classification, in order to bar election observers and other political parties from participating.
The commissioner instructed hotel owners to send information of their accommodation expenses for every room throughout the settlement period to his office by Thursday, October 26, 2023, at noon.
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Both civil society organisations and different factions of other political parties are wary of the development.
The move is thought to be an attempt by the Imo State government to prevent election observers from keeping an eye on the voting process.
Oguike Nwachukwu, Governor Hope Uzodimma’s chief press secretary and media advisor, responded to Newsmen by saying, “We don’t respond to nonsense,” when contacted.
In an interview with Newsmen, Olu Omotayo, the president of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), stated that the action was wrong because it would not promote a transparent election.
He said: “This is wrong because we are in a free society, in a democracy. Hotel business is like any other business; you’re free to do your business. You’re free to sell to whoever you like. This is not a military regime; the business they are doing is a legal business. Government can’t control how someone runs his private business. It’s very wrong. There’s no compulsion on how somebody should run his business. It’s highly condemnable and undemocratic.”
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“He added: “Election observers would be coming into the state for election monitoring; when government takes over all the hotels, how are they going to operate? Definitely, it will affect the credibility of the election because you have stopped the people who are coming to be able to get hotel accommodation so they can operate successfully. It’s a plan to hijack the process, which is not good for a transparent election.
“If they are taking that step, that’s a wrong step. Hotel owners have the right to approach the court if they feel there’s an infringement on their rights to carry out their lawful business. That’s why the court is there.”
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