A pressure group in Imo State, The Mazi Organization (TMO), has accused Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration of mismanaging the state finances.
TMO, which is a coalition of Imo State indigenes advocating for transparency and good governance, claimed there is total maladministration in the state.
At a press conference held in Owerri, TMO spokespersons accused the Uzodinma-led government of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation, blackmail, and malicious falsehoods aimed at silencing Dr. Chima Matthew Amadi, the group’s principal and a prominent governance advocate, simply because he was opposed to bad governance.
Cajetan Duke, TMO’s spokesman, said wild lies, malicious propaganda and laughable conspiracy theories involving cults, money rituals, INEC ballot printing, and imaginary offences would not stop the group from demanding accountability.
He said it was nothing but an attempt designed to divert attention from accountability issues in local government allocations.
“Let us be clear, although this attempt by the administration was an insult-ridden drivel, we will not under any guise be dragged into that show of shame with an inept administration, because we hold the Office of the Governor of Imo State in high esteem even though the current occupant does everything to demean and disrespect such a position of trust,” Duke stated.
According to him, at the heart of the dispute is Amadi’s vocal criticism of the handling of local government funds.
TMO claimed Amadi’s “only crime” was aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in demanding the release of constitutionally guaranteed allocations to the 27 local government areas (LGAs), in line with Supreme Court judgments.
Citing statistics from the Federal Ministry of Finance, TMO reported that over N300 billion has accrued to Imo LGAs between 2020 and the present, yet “Council secretariats are overgrown with weeds while not one local government can boast of a single functional project.”
The group demanded: “Where has the money gone? Only Governor Hope Uzodinma can provide this answer.”
Amadi’s recent keynote address at the annual conference of the Catholic Men’s Organization at Maria Assumpta Cathedral in Owerri was highlighted as the trigger for the administration’s “heightened obsession”.
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He was said to have cited figures showing that between 2020 and 2025, the 27 LGAs collectively received over N330 billion in federal allocations, with Mbaitoli LGA alone getting about N15.63 billion and Nkwerre, the lowest, receiving N10.75 billion.
“Yet across the state, schools, health centres, sports facilities and roads remain in scandalous decay. That truth, backed by data, is what has unsettled Governor Uzodinma,” TMO noted.
The group endorsed Amadi’s position “in totality” and insisted that “every kobo that has accrued to Imo State since 2020 must be accounted for.”
It pointed to the disappearance of FAAC allocations, ecological funds, and intervention funds from international partners like the World Health Organization (WHO), USAID, and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program as “too monumental to be swept under the carpet.”
TMO questioned the administration’s motives in criminalizing Amadi’s humanitarian efforts, such as assisting indigent families, asking: “What is the wrongdoing in assisting indigent families? Why is the Imo State government intimidated and desperate to criminalize humanitarian efforts, instead of commending the benefactor?”
TMO issued a “solemn demand” to the EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Nigeria Police, and other agencies to investigate Uzodinma.
The group urged Amadi and other advocates to “remain unbowed” in leading the charge for accountability.
