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| Hope Uzodinma |
The Peoples Democratic Party, Imo State chapter has
described the two years reign of Hope Uzodinma as the Governor of the state as
disastrous.
In a statement issued on Monday by the PDP state publicity
secretary, Emenike Nmeregini, the two year anniversary of Uzodiinma as governor
was accessed and he was accused of underperformance.
According to the main opposition party, within two years,
the Uzodinma’s administration had politicised insecurity in Imo state and had allowed bandits, kidnappers and
terrorists to overrun the state.
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It further alleged that the state was now the unemployment
capital of the country, due to bad governance.
PDP also added that the state is now the most indebted state
in the South-East zone, because of what it called bogus borrowing which lacked
proper utilisation of the funds by the Uzodinma’s administration.
The statement read, “The people of Imo State and Nigerians
will recall that on January 14, 2020, a bizarre and controversial Supreme Court
judgement truncated the popular mandate which Imo people had freely given to
our party through our flagbearer, His Excellency, Emeka Ihedioha CON, at
the March 9, 2019 governorship election. That judgement also enthroned the
generally disputed, illegitimate regime of Senator Hope Uzodinma.
“Aside from the adverse implications of that ruling on the
nation’s electoral jurisprudence and freedom of choice, the regime has in the
last two years foisted the most reprehensible administration upon the people of
Imo State.
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“The illegitimate regime of Senator Uzodinma has without remorse, abdicated the primary obligation of government as prescribed by the Constitution, which is the security of lives and property. Rather, it has politicised an unfortunate security situation in the state which has continued to gulp countless innocent lives, every day. Today, bandits, terrorists, cannibals, kidnappers and unknown gunmen are almost overrunning the state.
“It is curious that Senator Uzodinma, until now, has yet to
refute a very weighty allegation by the senator representing his own senatorial
district who accused him of being the mastermind of a deadly hit squad that is
backed by his administration. Most areas in Orlu Zone are currently under the
firm grip of gunmen, a situation that has thousands of our citizens internally
displaced.
“Our party and indeed the people of Imo State regret that
Senator Uzodinma suspended and summarily dismantled all the foundations and
programmes our Rebuild Imo administration painstakingly put in place in all the
sectors towards the rebuilding of Imo State.
“Our government commenced the Treasury Single Account, autonomy
for local government system, Technical and Skills Development Colleges,
Automated Payment System for prompt payment of salaries and pensions,
agricultural revolution, infrastructural revolution, civil service reform, the
revival of ISOPADEC, technology and ICT development, qualitative free education
etc.
“These and other programmes of the Rebuild Imo
Administration were dumped by Uzodinma even when he embarked on a borrowing
spree, in most cases, nocturnally, which has placed Imo as the most indebted
state in the entire South East. This is worrisome given that the regime still
cannot point to any landmark project it has done in two years to justify the
huge borrowings.
“Last year alone, the regime accessed over N59 billion loans
from foreign and domestic sources. This year, 2022, Senator Uzodinma has
perfected plans to borrow an additional N61 billion. When added to well over
N103 billion which has come to the local government areas from FAAC under
Uzodinma, the N105 billion which has come to the State, the N24 billion which
the State has internally generated and the N10 billion which represents the 13%
Oil Derivation, it is heartbreaking that there is nothing in Imo to show for
the monies.
“This is obviously not the Imo State we envisioned for our
children. Within the years under review, Senator Uzodinma has had neither a
well-researched policy nor direction in the various sectors of the state. This
is the calamity that has befallen our state.
“Our party notes with great pain that within two years,
Senator Uzodinma has made our state, Imo, the unemployment capital of Nigeria.
It is noteworthy that the relevant rating board, the Presidential Business
Enabling Environment Council, has consistently placed Imo at the lowest rung of
the ladder in terms of ease of doing business in Nigeria. Worse still, within
two years, our state ranks highest in the South-East in terms of infant and
maternal mortality rates.
“Imo has collapsed under Gov. Uzodinma. In the past two
years, Senator Uzodinma has wilfully denied workers and retirees their salaries
and pensions. When workers staged protests, they are tagged fake and brutalised
by agents of the government. Also, the local government system has been
completely emasculated, defunded and stripped of autonomy, thus, giving way for
mass misery at the grassroots.
“We wish to encourage the people of Imo State to keep the
spirit alive. This regime must expire very soon to give way for a PDP led
government for the good of the people.”
When contacted for reaction, the state Commissioner for
Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, dismissed the PDP’s claims and
disclosed that he would officially respond to the allegations “in the next two
hours”.
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