As Governor Hope Uzodinma marked his five years anniversary in office, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State chapter, has described his administration as a big disappointment to the people of the State.
It alleged that his leadership was characterized by terror, killings and corruption.
The PDP, in a press statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Lancelot Obiaku, stated that the five years of Uzodinma’s administration were allegedly characterized by poor administrative policies and economic deficiency without any glimpse of hope.
The PDP spokesperson noted that after five years in office, there is agonizingly nothing to be proud of in Uzodinma’s administration.
“Even the blind can see that the Governor and his team have failed to measure up in all indices of governance and should adopt an apologetic rather than a celebratory posture for leading the State to the precipice.
“First, the Government has failed in its core responsibility of protecting lives and property.
“Under the watch of Uzodinma’s APC led-administration, arsonists, gunmen, kidnappers, and organ harvesters have prowled and run riot like never before, leading to several lots of avoidable deaths of innocent civilians and security operatives, as well as the destruction and loss of properties worth hundreds of billions, including private residences. The cases are too numerous to list,” Obiaku alleged.
He went further stating that it was unfortunate that hoodlums had overrun large parts of the 27 LGAs in the State, leaving throes of wailings and woes, with many people abandoning their homes for fear of the unknown gunmen.
“Okigwe, Njaba, Onuimo, Orsu, Orlu, Oru West, Oru East, and Oguta LGAs, are no longer habitable.
“Most indigenes of these LGAs fled their native homes and became IDPs in their own State.
“The few remaining in some parts of these LGAs live in fear and under the dictates of gunmen and non-state actors who are now, more or less, the de facto leaders of these areas,” the PDP spokesperson alleged.
In the area of infrastructure, the opposition party further alleged that Imo roads were in what he described as sorry state and unarguably, the worst in present day Nigeria.
Obiaku pointed out that Uzodinma had failed to address 98 percent of impassable roads in rural and urban areas, not excluding public school buildings which he stated remained dilapidated as they lacked basic facilities.
He observed that Uzodinma’s administration stands as the worst in the area of commerce and ease of doing business, maintaining that the business environment has been adversely impacted by perceived insecurity and government’s unwillingness to regulate taxes, leaving business owners grumbling due to multiple taxations.
“Despite this ugly trend, the State has maintained an abysmal 26th to 36th ranking in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) under Uzodinma’s watch and ranked 32nd in the 2024 fiscal performance ranking, according to Budgit.
“Additionally, the State generated the lowest VAT revenue in the entire Federation in 2024, with a paltry N235.41 million — almost half of what the second-worst-performing State, Zamfara, generated (N432.80 million), and a mere 0.2 percent of what Lagos generated,” he said.
In terms of transparency, accountability, and rule of law the opposition party accused Uzodinma of reducing governance to what it termed a one-man show and allegedly maintained a secretive approach in managing the State’s resources.
“This is a Governor who has spent about 89 percent of his tenure in Abuja, Lagos, and other parts of the country and beyond. He merely returns to sign off on cheques and engage in dance parties.
“How can one explain that the Governor has refused to appoint a Chief Judge since November 16, 2024 when the office became vacant.
“Today, cases are not being assigned because only the Chief Judge can do so.
“This is just one out of many other functions only a Chief Judge can perform. The effect of this on the Imo judicial system can only be imagined,” he lamented.
The PDP also accused Uzodinma of going after those he perceived as critics of his administration and alleged failure to account for over N520 billion Local Government fund for the years under review.
The party frowned at what it described as the government’s poor approach to workers’ welfare and handling of pension schemes.
