The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refuted Governor Hope Uzodinma’s claims that he inherited a state resembling a cemetery when he assumed office in 2020.

The PDP strongly maintains that Imo State was a paradise prior to Uzodinma’s tenure.

In a statement released in Owerri and provided to Vistanaij Media by the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Collins Opurozor, the opposition party expressed deep regret that Imo State, which had been free from violence, has now become a city stained with blood and a valley of death. The party voiced its disagreement with Uzodinma’s assertions, which he made during a national television appearance, where he claimed to have revived a state that was on the verge of collapse.

The PDP swiftly responded by stating that Uzodinma was captivated by the state’s glory during his swearing-in ceremony and had vowed to continue implementing the commendable initiatives of the previous PDP administration. However, the party expressed disappointment that Uzodinma’s actions have instead led Imo State into a state resembling a cemetery.

PDP statement reads, “More than half of Imo territory is presently under the occupation of bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and other non-state actors who levy death upon Imo people day after day. Farmers have abandoned their farmlands and the logical outcome has been an unprecedented rise in poverty and starvation, including crime.

“It is shameful that while Imo people are slaughtered daily by terrorists, the only thing Senator Uzodinma thinks of is how to politicise and profit from the unfortunate situation. It is irresponsible that a government would seek to frame its perceived foes with insecurity, which it has an obligation to solve.

“Equity demands that Senator Uzodinma should not present himself as a candidate in the forthcoming governorship election, since he hails from Orlu Zone, which has held power for twenty years in the last twenty-four years. Those backing his inordinate ambition do not mean well for the state, and they must stop forthwith.

“Worse still, the local government system, which is a mechanism put in place by law to expand and sustain the democratic space and to spread democratic values, has been destroyed in Imo. This is a huge tragedy! Imo is a state that has over seventy percent of its entire population living in rural areas. Yet, the only channel through which governance can be delivered to the people has been completely run aground.

“Senator Uzodinma must, without any further delay, tell the people the whereabouts of the N206 billion he has received from the local governments.

“Furthermore, this government, which has made incessant borrowings a state policy, has now sent Imo into irredeemable debt slavery. Make no mistake, debt instruments are supposed to be development tools that governments deploy to raise the financial and socio-economic well-being of their entities.

“The implication is that loans are invariably obtained to invest in those programs, initiatives, and projects which have the prospect of turning around the economic circumstances of the borrowing entities and affording them the capacity not just to repay in the future but also to create sustainable growth.”