Gov. Uzodimma,
The Imo State Government has come out strongly against governorship aspirant Chima Amadi, accusing him of lacking a credible agenda and resorting to misinformation in an attempt to gain political relevance.
In a statement released on Sunday, Declan Emelumba, the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, criticized Amadi for spreading “fabricated statistics and baseless claims intended to mislead and provoke unrest.”
“Instead of unveiling a serious manifesto or plan for Imo people,” Emelumba said, “he has resorted to attacking the government with lies and discredited data.”
Amadi had, while speaking at a seminar hosted by the Catholic Men Organization in Owerri on Thursday, alleged that Imo State had the highest maternal mortality rate in NigeriaNigeria, 1,863 deaths per 100,000 live births, which he attributed to poor healthcare facilities in the state.
However, Emelumba dismissed the figure as fiction.
“Contrary to Amadi’s claim,” the commissioner responded, “the actual figure for maternal mortality in Imo State is 163 deaths per 100,000 live births,” citing kingmakers.com.ng as the source.
He further pointed out that the state’s maternal mortality rate is far below the national average of 993 per 100,000 live births.
“Governor Hope Uzodimma believes it must keep declining, with zero as the ultimate target,” Emelumba added.
“This is why the government has sustained spirited efforts to expand access to maternal care and improve outcomes for mothers and babies across the state.”
Responding to Amadi’s assertion that health facilities in Imo are poorly maintained, Emelumba described the claim as “not only false but laughable.”
According to him, “In December 2021, Imo was honoured by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for running the Best State Health Promotion Campaign.”
He further questioned Amadi’s understanding of governance, saying, “This is a man who wants to govern Imo State, yet he doesn’t know the constitutional framework of governance. It’s embarrassing.”
Amadi also accused Governor Uzodimma of seizing control of local government allocations, claiming that “nothing has been done at the local government level in the last five years.”
Emelumba strongly denied the allegations.
“The facts speak for themselves: five kilometres of road have been constructed in each of the 27 LGAs. Local councils have also signed an MoU with the Orashi Electricity Company to deliver 24-hour electricity to their communities. And no local government worker is owed a salary in Imo State,” he affirmed.
On education, Amadi alleged that public schools in Imo are declining. But the commissioner countered with statistics and records of achievements under Uzodimma’s administration.
“Under Governor Uzodimma, over 305 primary schools and dozens of secondary schools have been rebuilt, labs and libraries restored, and teacher morale boosted with extended retirement age and regular pay,” Emelumba stated.
“Imo students now excel in WAEC, NECO, and JAMB. At the tertiary level, Imo is funding five institutions, a regional first, and just secured a fifth federal university with a N39 billion take-off grant. Lost accreditations in medical and nursing schools have been restored. If this is what Amadi calls failure, he’s clearly not paying attention.”
The commissioner argued that governance requires more than populist rhetoric.
“Governance is not about throwing money around or demonising the incumbent government to score cheap political points,” he said.
“Even if Amadi were to become governor of Imo State by accident, it would take him more than eight years to match what Uzodimma has delivered in just five.”
He concluded by issuing a challenge to the aspirant.
“This is not about rabble-rousing. This is not about stoking resentment. Governance requires vision, capacity, and substance, attributes that are far away from the Chima Amadi that spoke at Assumpta on Thursday,” Emelumba said.
He urged Amadi to publish “a credible action plan for Imo State that matches the scale, ambition, and execution plan of Governor Uzodimma’s pre-candidacy blueprint as the APC governorship candidate in 2019.”
“Until then,” he warned, “he should stop gallivanting across the state inciting innocent citizens and pretending to be what he is not; because the more he does, the more he exposes his emptiness and incapacity to govern even a local government area.”
