The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned what it describes as a “cruel regime” led by Governor Hope Uzodimma, following a damning report that ranked Imo as the most dangerous state in Nigeria for journalists.
In a statement issued on August 1, 2025, and signed by the party’s spokesperson, Lancelot Obiaku, the PDP said the state’s bottom-place ranking in the 2024 Openness Index Report was a direct result of Uzodimma’s high-handed and repressive approach to governance.
The report, titled “State of Press Freedom in Nigeria: 2024 Subnational Report”, was released by the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID) in Abuja on July 31, 2025. It assessed all 36 states and the FCT on the basis of journalists’ safety, government transparency, access to information, and legal protections.
Imo scored a meagre 40.7%*, the lowest in the federation, signaling what the PDP described as “widespread repression, intimidation, and obstruction of journalistic work by state actors.”
“For us in Imo, this report is another sad commentary on Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s cruel regime, which thrives on media gagging, secrecy, and fear,”
“This administration has turned back the clock on every measurable standard of democratic governance.”Obiaku said.
The party said the dismal ranking was in line with what it described as the state’s broader decline across key governance metrics — including transparency, responsiveness, control of corruption, and adherence to the rule of law.
“Uzodimma has successfully dragged Imo from promise to peril,”
“This is no longer just about the press; it is about a system that is built to suppress, intimidate, and silence the truth.” the statement continued
According to the PDP, the Uzodimma administration’s consistent hostility to media scrutiny is a deliberate strategy to mask its “failures, corruption, and abuse of office,” and has only compounded the state’s insecurity and economic decline.
“The people of Imo live daily with the consequences of a government that sees press freedom as a threat,”
“The international disgrace of being ranked the least open and most dangerous to journalists only confirms what the people already know.” Obiaku stated.
The PDP urged Governor Uzodimma to act in good faith by reversing the trend and creating an environment conducive to free and responsible journalism.
“Governments who fear the press have something to hide. Imo deserves better,” the party concluded.
