Uzodimma goes tough on former aides

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has directed the Managing Director of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), Hon Chief Charles Orie, to take custody and carry out proper inventory of all official vehicles assigned to his former political appointees.

This directive affects all former Principal officers to the Governor, all former Commissioners, all Special Advisers, all General Managers of Agencies of Government, among others.

Orie was further urged to ensure that no former political appointee, no matter how highly placed, refuses to surrender his or her official vehicles.

On January 16, 2024, when Governor Uzodimma dissolved his expanded Executive Council, he had directed that the Commissioners should hand over their official vehicles to the Permanent Secretaries in their ministries while the Special Advisers should submit their official vehicles at the Office of the Chief of Staff.

While some former political appointees complied to the directives, others are yet to do so, raising concerns they may have ulterior motives.

Poised to ensure that government directives are respected by all and sundry, Governor Uzodimma has mandated Orie to use all means lawful to extract compliance from the former appointees.

Those Governor Uzodimma expects Chief Orie to take custody and inventory of the vehicles assigned to them as former appointees are his former principal officers, his former Commissioners, his former Special Advisers, former General Managers of Agencies of Government, among others.

Compliance is said to be immediate and non negotiable.