On October 30, 2023, Sahara Reporters posted on their verified X page (formerly Twitter) that “November Election: Imo State Government Takes Over All Hotel Rooms In Owerri For One Week.”
A similar version of the claim was retrieved from our Check by Meedan platform from one of our soldiers of mouth in Owerri, Imo state, with another version circulating across WhatsApp.
Attached to the claim is an image of a memo signed by the commissioner for Tourism with the seal of the Imo State’s Ministry of Tourism addressed to all “Chief Executive Officers of Hotels in Owerri Metropolis and All General Managers of Hotels in Owerri Metropolis.”
Claim: Imo State Government has taken over all hotel rooms in Owerri for one week, ahead of the November 11 gubernatorial election
Verification:
The gubernatorial election for Imo State is scheduled for November 11, 2023. The incumbent governor, Hope Uzodinma, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is seeking a second term in office.
The CDD War Room found that the letter, dated October 25, 2023, and signed by Jerry Egemba, came from the state government and was sent to hotel owners in Owerri, the capital of Imo State. We spoke with Jerry Egemba, the commissioner who signed the letter, and he confirmed that the letter emanated from the Ministry of Tourism, Imo State.
He, however clarified that the memo was to inform the hotel owners that guests and election observers are coming from within and outside the country. Therefore, the rooms should be reserved for them for the election period.
The commissioner added that there are reports that thugs, miscreants and people of questionable character might occupy the hotel rooms ahead of the election while “important people will be left with no rooms to stay. The State Government, therefore, issued the directives to all hotels to reserve the rooms for people who have official assignments related to the election and not for thugs.”
We spoke to some hotel owners enquiring about room availability between 4th and 12th November. They affirmed that there are available rooms for the period, and they will be reserved for our guests as soon as we make the payment.
Verdict: All We Know
The CDD War Room found that the government communicated to the hotels signaling its intention to “rent and occupy” all hotel rooms in Owerri Metropolis. However, the tourism commissioner clarified that the memo was sent so that the hotels will reserve rooms for guests on official assignments. The commissioner further explained that there was information that miscreants may decide to occupy hotels in the state, thereby denying genuine guests hotel space. Some hotel owners also affirmed that rooms are available in their hotels between 4th to 12th November.
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