There are reports that most of the twenty seven Local Government Area Chairmen in the state are scared because of the persistent calls by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission ICPC should, as a matter of urgency probe the income and expenditure of the councils.
One of the Chairmen who pleaded anonymity while speaking to this reporter, said, “we are actually at a loss about what will be our fate when we leave office. This is because most of the funds of our respective Councils that we sign out monthly are disbursed in ways we can neither explain nor give account of. It is true that since we assumed office, the Local government councils have been receiving jumbo allocations but the problem is that the state government does not give us up to fifteen percent of the amount that accrues to each of us. Even our salaries, that of our aides and staff of the Council are processed and paid by an agent engaged by the state government, unlike previously when the councils received and presided over the disbursement of funds, including the payment of salaries, the execution of development projects etc. That era is gone, hence a lot of things are getting wrong. Honestly, we are presently in a very serious dilemma. That is why most of us are scared that we will be held responsible when the chips are down”.
Speaking in the same vein, an aide of one of the Chairmen who also pleaded anonymity out of fear of losing his job was quoted as saying that his boss now grumbles on daily basis because of the perceived consequences of aiding and abetting corruption by allowing himself to be used as a conduct pipe for siphoning local government funds for unverified projects that he neither supervised nor followed up to ensure their completion and genuineness.
The PDP, in a report captioned, “Imo PDP Demands Probe of LGA Chairmen Over Embezzlement Council Funds; Alerts EFCC, ICPC”, that was published in the Nigeria Watchdog Newspaper edition of October 10, 2025 lamented the decayed state of health, education and road infrastructure in the state despite over #620 billion that has accrued to the local government system in the state in the past two years.
The party said, “it is disheartening that the 27 local government councils in Imo State received on the average the sum of over #13 billion monthly in 2025, #9 billion in 2024 and #7 billion in 2023 from the federation account. Yet there is absolutely nothing to show for it.”
“All parts of the state are in ruin and lack any form of government presence. While local governments were created to serve as the closest tier of government to the people that will attend to their needs, the LGAs under the Senator Uzodinma administration have been stagnant, dormant and devoid of any developmental activities whatsoever.”
In a release signed by its State Publicity Secretary Lancelot Obiaku, the PDP, further stated that the party reckons that since the inception of Uzodimma’s administration, the 27 LGAs of the state have received at least N620 billion, which has yielded nothing and has not been accounted for. As of today, no LGA in the state receives less than N430 million monthly, with Mbaitoli and Isiala Mbano receiving the highest allocations for August at N625 million and N577 million respectively.
The party alerts the EFCC and ICPC that primary health centres in various communities across the state, built decades ago, have become the dwelling place of rodents, reptiles, and snakes, while public schools in most LGAs have stopped functioning due to neglect.
Roads leading to many LGA council headquarters are impassable, with a number of rural communities rendered uninhabitable due to bad roads that the local governments cannot even grade. We insist that the anti-graft agencies must rise up now to tame this monumental corruption.
We acknowledge the statement by EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in February, emphasizing that local government chairpersons are not exempt from investigation or prosecution for fraudulent activities due to their lack of immunity.
We also welcome the information that the Commission has established a Fraud Risk Assessment and Control (FRAC) Department, with officers from the department expected to visit local government councils to monitor the use of funds from the federation account.
Since the inception of The PDP, therefore, urges the EFCC and ICPC to probe Imo LGA chairmen, who were literally appointed by Gov. Hope Uzodimma, to explain the whereabouts of the sums they receive monthly as federal allocations. This is especially critical since there are no projects such as schools, markets, construction or rehabilitation of roads, electricity projects, or community healthcare initiatives — nor is there any meaningful intervention ongoing in the name of any LGA in the state.
The party also calls on the EFCC and ICPC to beam their searchlight beyond the LGA chairmen, who have continued to collude with the state government by maintaining illegal accounts to swindle the state and plunder the commonwealth of its people”.
