The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma has maintained deaf ears despite persistent pressure by the opposition that he conducts local government election that will usher in authentic and legally permissible administrators that will revive the almost comatose third tier of government in the state.
Recall, that Governor Uzodinma, on assumption of office, assured Imo people that he would not toe the fraudulent path of his predecessors who appropriated and embezzled local government funds.
However, the question on the lips of concerned Imolites, is why the Governor, despite his orchestrated promises, spent the whole of his 4-year tenure without conducting local government elections to enable the real representatives of the people to administer and disburse the funds due to the local governments in line with constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
According to some of them who spoke on the condition of anonymity, “Governor Uzodinma, has since his assumption of office in January, 2019, constituted different leaderships in the 27 local government council. The first was the Interim Management Council IMC, the second were the Sole Administrators (SOLAD) all of which he dissolved unceremoniously and has since then been unilaterally collecting and disbursing the huge amounts accruing to the 27 local government councils as if they are his personal funds”.
“It is also on record that, unlike his predecessors, Uzodinma, aside appointing and dissolving the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission at will, has not held JAAC meeting since he assumed office, yet huge sums of money that have continuously been released to the state by the federal government and other sources on monthly basis.
“Gov Uzodinma, has proven to be the worst and the most financially profligate Governor in the history of Imo State. There is also no assurance that he will conduct local government election before he vacates office because he sees the huge allocations to the local government councils in the state as slush funds”.
They also accused the Government of deceiving those who intend to contest local government elections most of who have spent millions of naira to prepare for the election which may not hold because the Governor is allegedly playing on their sensibilities.
Another source who spoke in the same vein said, “Governor Uzodinma seems to have resorted to using deception as a tool of governance. Hence there is no indication that he will conduct local government election before the expiration of his second tenure”.
