A political pressure group, The Mazi Organisation (TMO), has described the recent demand by the Imo State Internal Revenue Service (IIRS) for Dr. Chima Matthew Amadi to pay N17 million in alleged tax arrears as “malicious, unconstitutional and a ploy to silence a critic of the government.”

At a press conference in Owerri, TMO spokesman Cajetan Duke alleged that the Governor Hope Uzodinma administration had embarked on a campaign of intimidation against Dr. Amadi, a governance advocate who has been vocal on accountability in the state.

Duke said the backdated tax demand, dated 12 August 2025, was “part of a wider pattern of threats, blackmail and smear campaigns” aimed at discrediting Amadi following his criticism of the state government’s handling of local government finances.

According to him, federal records show that Imo’s 27 local councils collectively received more than N330 billion in allocations between 2020 and 2025, yet most communities have little to show in terms of infrastructure or services.

Amadi, he noted, had repeatedly questioned the whereabouts of these funds.

“The sole offence of Dr Amadi has been his insistence on transparency and his alignment with the constitutional demand that local government allocations be released directly to the councils,” Duke told journalists.

TMO argued that under the Personal Income Tax Act, Imo State lacks jurisdiction to demand the alleged arrears because Dr Amadi was not resident in the state during the period under review. They cited a 2020 Court of Appeal judgment, which clarified that liability rests with the state of residence, not the state of work.

The group further accused the state government of orchestrating campaigns through proxy organisations to malign Amadi and warned security agencies to hold the administration accountable should any harm come to him.

TMO also called on anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC, to investigate the utilisation of federal allocations, ecological funds and intervention grants allegedly received by the state.

The organisation urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure accountability in Imo, warning that attempts to weaponise state institutions against critics threatened both democracy and the rule of law.

While dismissing allegations linking Amadi to financial or criminal misconduct, TMO maintained that the “real issue” was the need for transparent disclosure of how public funds have been spent in the last five years.