The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Imo State has urged the state governor, Hope Uzodimma, to prioritise efforts aimed at tackling socio-economic challenges confronting the state.

The party also challenged the governor to give account of allocations, which accrued to the state within the three years of his administration.

Imo PDP gave the advice while reacting to a report by a pro-government group, calling for arrest of the immediate past governor, Emeka Ihedioha, over alleged misappropriation of N19.63 billion.

According to the group, the said sum was allegedly misappropriated through the local council system within the seven months Ihedioha was in office.

In a statement signed by its Spokesman, Collins Opurozor, PDP described the report as “baseless, bogus, diversionary, frivolous and an attempt to deceive the people of Imo.”

According to Imo PDP, “This gimmick is a ploy by the Uzodimma administration, which is struggling with credibility, to divert public attention from the untold hardship, heightened insecurity and massive treasury looting in Imo under the watch of Uzodimma.

“The absurd part of the allegation is that our party, which came into office on May 29, 2019, is being quoted in an audit report that covers a period between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019. Even from the audit report, the fact is that what concerns our government is just what happened between May and December, and the amount associated with the period, which is less than N3.7 billion.”

MEANWHILE, the immediate past Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has called on security agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute those behind orchestrated campaign of calumny against him.

He denied the letter and voice note allegedly emanated from him in which he allegedly kicked against release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, by the Appeal Court judgment, as well as issued security threat to the state government.

He described them as handiwork of his detractors, adding that since he was ousted by the Supreme Court as governor of the state from office, those in Hope Uzodimma administration have not rested in their attempt to malign him.

Ihedioha further said that Uzodimma’s government is still struggling to gain people’s acceptance and confidence even after three years in office.

IN another development, the state government, at the weekend, donated relief materials to flood victims in two councils, Ohaji /Egbema and Oguta. Houses and farmlands in the affected communities were submerged by flood.

The relief items donated are mattresses, bags of rice, blankets, gallons of water, noodles, tomatoes, among others. Speaking at the two locations where the donations were made (Abacheke -Egbema, in Ohaji/Egbema Council and Girls Secondary School, Oguta, in Oguta Council, Uzodimma, represented by his deputy, Prof. Placid Njoku, said state government was touched by the level of devastation caused by flood in the areas.

He noted that the intervention from the state government was aimed at providing comfort and to complement earlier support of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, informing that food would be provided to them.