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.”

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo for allegedly spending over N3.5 billion on international trips and training within just three months, without securing any form of foreign direct investment (FDI) for the state.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Chris Osa Nehikhare, Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Edo, described the expenditures as reckless and shameful.

Citing the Capital Importation Report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on August 5, 2025, the party noted that Edo was among 30 Nigerian states that collectively spent N11.75 billion on foreign trips during the first quarter of the year yet failed to attract any FDI.

According to the NBS report, only seven regions, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano and Ekiti attracted foreign investment between January and March 2025.

“The FDI that came into the country between January and March went to only seven locations (the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano and Ekiti),” the report stated.

The Bureau pegged Edo’s share of the expenditure at ₦349,323,686.03 and $227,918.57.

In its strongly worded statement titled “Stop the Jamboree: Edo Government’s Reckless N3.51 Billion Travel Spree Amidst Crumbling Infrastructure is Shameful”, PDP expressed outrage that the Okpebholo-led government prioritised foreign travel over addressing dire developmental needs.

“The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Edo State Chapter, is outraged by the disgraceful revelation that the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration squandered an alarming N3.51 billion on travel in just the first half of 2025,” the statement read.

“This waste comes at a time when the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Capital Importation Report confirms that Edo State failed to attract a single kobo in foreign investment while states like Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano, and even Ekiti made the list.”

“The contrast is both embarrassing and telling. Other states are opening their doors to the capital, Edo’s leaders are opening their wallets for endless trips.”

PDP further described the travel expenditures as “an insult” to Edo citizens, who continue to struggle with poor roads, inadequate healthcare, crumbling schools, irregular salary payments, and unreliable power supply.

“This reckless expenditure is an insult to the good people of Edo State who continue to endure poor roads, inadequate healthcare facilities, decaying schools, delays in salary payments and epileptic power supply.”

“It is unacceptable that while other states are working to attract investment, Edo’s leadership is squandering scarce resources on trips that yield no tangible benefits.”

“Governance is not a jamboree. Leadership demands prudence, vision, and a commitment to prioritising the needs of the people over frivolous indulgences.”

“Edo State deserves a government focused on creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of life of its citizenscitizens, not one obsessed with globetrotting at public expense.”

The PDP called on the state government to immediately stop the “wasteful” spending, publish details of all international trips, and redirect such funds to urgently needed infrastructure development across Edo.

Chief Anyaoku,

The Nigerian Senate has invited the group led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, known as The Patriots, to present their case for a new constitution during the upcoming public hearings on constitutional reforms.

The Patriots, a coalition of respected Nigerian statesmen and leaders, have been advocating for the replacement of the 1999 Constitution, which they argue has failed to adequately address the country’s persistent political, economic, and structural challenges.

During an interaction with journalists in his hometown of Ilawe-Ekiti, Senate spokesperson Senator Yemi Adaramodu responded to the group’s demands by encouraging them, and all interested Nigerians, to actively participate in the constitutional review process:

“We urge our patriotic patriots to avail themselves of the opportunities that are going to be open to everyone. We welcome input from all Nigerians, elders, professionals, political leaders, traditional rulers, youth groups, women’s groups, CSOs, and even Nigerians in the diaspora.”

Adaramodu explained that the National Assembly is committed to ensuring inclusive participation in shaping the country’s legal framework.

He noted that once all inputs are gathered, the Senate and House of Representatives will convene a comprehensive public hearing where various proposals can be debated:

“Once that report is ready, the Senate, in conjunction with the House of Representatives, will hold a comprehensive public hearing. This hearing will allow all stakeholders, those who submitted requests and those opposed to them, to present their arguments. After then, the two chambers will now sit together concurrently to pick which request is genuine.”

Regarding whether the process would result in a brand new constitution or an amendment to the existing one, Adaramodu stressed that the final outcome would reflect the collective interests of Nigerians:

“The final document, whether a completely new constitution or an amended one, will reflect the collective input of Nigerians, not just the opinion of one group. Our goal is to ensure that whatever constitutional changes are made will be in the best interest of Nigeria and its people.”

Senator Adaramodu also revealed that the Senate has received 61 formal requests for state creation, stemming from consultations with constituents across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

These submissions range from calls for new states to demands for local government autonomy.

“First, the Senate cannot unilaterally create states; such requests must be considered during a constitutional review process. In such cases, Nigerians and other critical stakeholders will express their interests, which often range from local government autonomy to state creation and even the creation of more local governments.”

He added that existing Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by states like Lagos and Ekiti would also be reviewed:

“There is also the validation of new Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created by various state governments, such as Lagos State and my own state in Ekiti. All of these will still be reviewed and examined. We will collate them, after which the Constitutional Review Committee, headed by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, in the 10th Senate, will aggregate, assess, and filter them before preparing a report to the Senate.”

Adaramodu addressed concerns that the current Senate may not complete the constitutional review process before the end of its tenure. He reassured Nigerians that constitutional amendments are not tied to a fixed timeline:

“Constitutional review is a timeless process; it is not bound to the tenure of the 10th Senate or House of Representatives. It can start at any time in a legislative year. With full commitment, amendments can be made quickly by the time we resume if Nigerians demand them.”