Democracy Day: Imo PDP accuses Uzodinma of undermining rule of law, separation of power

As Nigeria marks its 27th Democracy Day celebration, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State chapter, has accused the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma of undermining the rule of law and neglecting democratic principles, including the separation of powers.

The party further accused the administration of eroding public confidence in governance through its style of administration.

In a press statement issued through the office of its spokesperson, Lancelot Obiaku, the party pointed out that the separation of powers and the rule of law are key elements that define true democracy.

The party said that Uzodinma’s leadership has not shown enough commitment to offer Imo people what true democracy looks like, citing incidents of what it described as the arbitrary use of force and power, lack of accountability in the management of public funds, disrespect for the rule of law, and corruption and insecurity being the order of the day over the last six years.

The party emphasised that these situations do not enliven the spirit of the average Imo citizen or inspire hope in democracy amid the Democracy Day commemoration.

“The administration is undermining the roles of the Legislature and the Judiciary, stifling the local government system by keeping it in subjugation, depriving it of resources, and effectively running a government where the Executive operates suo motu without recourse to the other arms of government,” the release stated.

The PDP asserted that the governor’s style of governance negates democratic tenets and has stifled the development of the state.

“We have seen nearly N700 billion in LGA allocations since the inception of the present regime go down the drain, with nothing to show for it—not in the development of rural infrastructure, commerce and industry, education, payment of minimum wage, pensions, and gratuities, among others. Our local government areas do not receive up to 10 percent of their allocations. How then would development get to the grassroots with the greed exhibited by the state government?

“Uzodinma has refused to conduct democratic LGA elections and, having appointed sole administrators in the name of LGA chairmen, has continued to starve the people of the dividends of democracy by depriving them of the government that should ordinarily be closest to them.

“For the first time in the history of the state, Imo went a year without a Chief Judge because the governor wants to run every show without recourse to democratic institutions. When the post became vacant on November 16, 2024, it was incumbent upon the governor to request from the National Judicial Council a recommendation for the appointment of the most senior judicial officer as Chief Judge, in accordance with Section 271(4) of the Nigerian Constitution,” the party added.

Concerning the process of appointing a new Chief Judge, the PDP alleged that instead of the governor writing to the NJC, he went ahead to appoint and swear in Hon. Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu, who it said was not qualified to serve as Acting Chief Judge, an act that prompted the NJC to declare the appointment void.

The PDP stated that the development brought the state into public opprobrium, pointing out that the absence of a Chief Judge for nearly a year meant that cases could not be assigned because only the Chief Judge can do so, in addition to many other functions that only a Chief Judge can perform in a democracy.

“Today in Imo State, contracts awarded by the government are not advertised, and the governor has shut down the Public Procurement Bureau. The process of awarding contracts is kept secret, and not even the State Assembly has a say in them. The costs and other contract details are not made known to the people, who ordinarily are central to governance in a democratic setting.

“We have seen the government recently re-award the World Bank–Umuguma and the Nekede–Iheanwa roads in Owerri for construction. These are roads awarded in 2020 and 2023 by the same administration for tens of billions of naira without anything tangible happening on them. This is the height of theft and sleaze perpetrated by an administration with a morbid inclination toward fraud,” the party further alleged.

The party, while wishing Imo people and Nigerians a happy Democracy Day, urged them to keep faith in democratic governance, assuring them that a bright future lies ahead.