Politics
PDP Blasts Uzodinma Over Claims On Pensions, Salaries
The lmo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has come under severe criticism by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party over claims about prompt payment of salaries to civil servants in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Imo PDP Publicity Secretary, Emenike Nmeregini, in response to Uzodinma’s claims during his second year anniversary.
The Tide source reported that the governor had said that his administration had always prioritised workers’ welfare through consistent payment of salaries and allowances.
However, Nmeregini slammed the governor’s assertion, revealing how workers had staged protests over unpaid salaries.
“Imo has collapsed under Gov. Uzodinma. In the past two years, Senator Uzodinma has willfully denied workers and retirees their salaries and pensions. When workers stage protests, they are tagged fake and brutalised by agents of the government.
“Last year alone, the regime accessed over N59 billion loans from foreign and domestic sources. This year, 2022, Senator Uzodinma has perfected plans to borrow an additional N61 billion. When added to well over N103 billion which has come to the local government areas from FAAC under Uzodinma, the N105 billion which has come to the State also from FAAC, the N24 billion which the State has internally generated and the N10 billion which represents the 13 percent Oil Derivation, it is heartbreaking that there is nothing in Imo to show for the monies.
“This is not the Imo State we envisioned for our children. Within the years under review, Senator Uzodinma has had neither a well-researched policy nor direction in the various sectors of the state. This is the calamity that has befallen our State.’’
Politics
LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction
Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.
“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”
The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.
“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.
“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.
“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”
Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.
He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”
He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.
“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”
Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.
“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.
