The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, as a man in a desperate search for legitimacy.
The PDP, in a statement signed by its spokesman in Imo State, Ogubundu Nwadike, said the governor, feeling inadequate and rejected by the people, has been holding series of events hoping through it to gain legitimacy and acceptance.
The statement reads: “On Saturday, 27th of February, 2021, the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, addressed what he called Stakeholders Meeting. At the meeting, he reeled out what he considered to be his achievements in office in one year and then strayed further afield to defend and explain away his indiscretions and assault on the psyche of the people of Imo State.
“The poor show, certainly, did not achieve his desired objective. Consequently, he was in a hurry to repeat himself. That was why he quickly concocted and designed another merry-go-round on 14th March, 2021, which he laughably christened “One Year Anniversary Celebration”.
“As a people-oriented party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has taken a hard look at the governor’s antics on both occasions and has come to the painful conclusion that the entire jamboree is a cocktail of lies and half truths aimed at misleading the people. It should be noted that Uzodinma celebrated his one year in office in January. Why is he repeating the same non-event in March? The answer is simple. The governor is scratching here and there in desperate search for legitimacy.
“His futile search continues. But who were the governor’s audiences on these occasions? The first was a gathering of a coterie of All Progressives Congress (APC) faithful loyal to him. Unfortunately, they pass as stakeholders in the governor’s estimation. The second was a get-together of the governor’s associates from outside the state. It is important to note that prominent citizens of Imo State were absent on both occasions. In other words, the real stakeholders of the state were not part of those events. So, who was Uzodinma talking to? What purpose has his circus show served except to lead his unwary visitors by the nose?
“It was amusing, for instance to hear Uzodinma tell his beleaguered audience that he recovered his mandate through the court. Nothing can be as pitiable as this. The governor knows that he is a bad example in matters that border on democracy and legitimacy. The whole world is still aghast at the open air roguery and rape of justice that eventuated in his one-legged governorship. We know that the illegitimacy that brought him to power will haunt him to the very end.
“Does Uzodinma have the morality to come before our God of justice with a mandate that has defied logic and sound legal reason. Question is, on which political party platform did Uzodinma contest the 2019 governorship election? It is on record that the Supreme Court, on 20th December 2019, in a landmark judgement, in a suit challenging the eligibility of Uche Nwosu to participate in the election, affirmed the dual candidature of Uche Nwosu on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Action Alliance (AA). The Apex Court went ahead to disqualify him, on account of a breach of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“But what is Uzodinma really showcasing in one year? Is it the inglorious mark he left by putting Imo in the list of states that did not attract a single direct foreign investment in the last one year? How can the governor claim that ‘things are indeed looking up in the state’ when salaries and pensions are not being paid? A regime that deploys thugs to flog frail and aged citizens who, peacefully protested against unpaid pensions and gratuities cannot claim to have the interest of the people at heart. Today, civil servants are groaning under the excruciating pains occasioned by selective and non-payment of salaries in most cases 11 months arrears.
“Then, to underline the fact that Uzodinma has a penchant for rabble rousing, he claimed that his administration is constructing and rehabilitating 46 roads in the state in one fell swoop. A look at the list will easily reveal that we do not have more than twenty proper roads on that list. The rest are merely repetitions and duplications.
“But even more germane is the fact that Uzodinma is claiming the credit he does not deserve. We expected him to acknowledge that he was only working on roads that the administration of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha awarded and paid for, most of which he downgraded in terms of quality and scope. Some of the roads mentioned are not even being worked on. They are still the way Uzodinma met them. There is, in fact, nothing to celebrate about Uzodinma’s claim in this regard. The people of Imo State are still moaning and groaning over bad roads more than one year after Uzodinma took over the reins of governance in the state, in the manner he did.
“Uzodinma finally went on a wild goose chase when he tried to justify his invitation to the military to destroy and decapitate Orlu. We find it disturbing that Uzodinma actually admitted publicly that he unleashed an army of occupation on the people he is supposed to protect. This is indiscretion of the worst order. The governor even claimed that he invited the military to Orlu to flush out hoodlums and mercenaries. This claim is bizarre, to say the least. Mercenaries in Imo State? What war are they fighting? Who hired them? Unless the word has lost its meaning, we cannot but wonder why Uzodinma brought it into public discourse in Imo State. This is celebration of ignorance.
“The governor’s delivery on both occasions shows that he was merely on a publicity stunt. As a party, we will like to remind Uzodinma that governance is a serious business. Deceit and half-truths cannot advance the cause of good governance. We repudiate the tissue of lies and urge the governor to stop deceiving the people. Rather than trying to justify the unjustifiable, we invite the governor to look inwards, have a rethink and apologise to the good people of Imo State whose psyche he has destroyed with unprovoked military assault.”
