The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to investigate the financial activities of the 27 Council Areas in the state. This appeal was made through the State Publicity Secretary, Lancelot Obiaku, in a statement to Vanguard in Owerri.
The PDP asserts that there will be no elections on September 21, 2024, declaring that the allegedly elected local government chairmen and councillors are impostors imposed on the people by the state government led by Hope Uzodimma. The party describes these officials as an illegal assembly that undermines democracy and contributes to the oppression of the people of Imo by misappropriating local government allocations.
The statement alleges that intelligence has revealed a scheme requiring each of the purported local government chairmen to return over 70% of their allocations to the state government. It claims that the governor has coerced these appointed chairmen into signing resignation letters and other documents to prevent dissent.
Furthermore, the PDP accuses the state government of signing over two years’ worth of local government allocations to an Egyptian company for a supposed electrification project under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The party alleges that while less than 50% of the approved funds were allocated to the company, more than half is likely to be diverted into private hands. The PDP insists that the governor has not accounted for the funds received into a joint state/local government account, which they claim is being maintained in defiance of a recent Supreme Court judgment.
In conclusion, the PDP has called upon anti-graft agencies, including the EFCC, ICPC, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), to investigate these alleged financial crimes and prosecute those involved to ensure accountability.