The Action Peoples Party (APP) in Imo state says the golden jubilee of the state should provoke sober reflection over what it described as lost opportunities, leadership failure and the desecration of the labour of the state’s founding fathers.
In a statement issued on Monday to mark Imo’s 50th anniversary and signed by Cajethan Duke, state publicity secretary of the Action Peoples Party, the Hon. Ernest Njesi-led APP said the state’s creation on February 3, 1976, under the administration of General Murtala Muhammed, was driven by the people’s quest for self-determination, dignity and accelerated development.
The party said Imo was founded on lofty ideals, including world-class education, agricultural transformation, industrialisation, vibrant commerce and technology-driven growth, but argued that those aspirations have largely been undermined over the decades.
APP said several industrial landmarks established during the administration of the late Sam Mbakwe, the state’s first civilian governor, have either collapsed or are operating far below capacity, depriving the state of jobs, skills and sustainable wealth.
The party listed some of the projects to include the Aluminium Extrusion Industry (ALEX) in Inyishi, Ikeduru; the Resin Paint Factory in Aboh Mbaise; the Paper Packaging Industry in Owerre-Ebiri, Orlu; the Nsu Tiles and Ceramics Industry in Ehime Mbano; and the Imo Modern Poultry Farm in Avutu, Obowo.
Other facilities mentioned were the Sacs Hercules Motorcycle Assembly Plant in Naze, as well as the clay bricks and roofing tiles industries in Ezinnachi and Amuro, Okigwe, which APP described as painful monuments to squandered opportunities and broken promises.
While acknowledging the week-long activities lined up for the golden jubilee — including an interdenominational thanksgiving service, youth-focused quiz competitions, cultural displays and the planned investiture of 50 distinguished Imo indigenes — the party said celebration must not eclipse honest introspection.
APP said many communities remain cut off by bad roads, public hospitals lack basic drugs and equipment, and public schools struggle to sustain the academic excellence for which Imo was once known.
The party also alleged that civil servants and pensioners are owed entitlements, while traders and artisans grapple with worsening economic hardship amid rising insecurity across parts of the state.
It further criticised the local government system, alleging that councils have been rendered ineffective and unable to perform even basic constitutional functions despite improved federal allocations in recent years.
APP said the true way to honour Imo’s heroes past is to build a government that works — with functional infrastructure, accessible healthcare, quality education, prompt payment of salaries and pensions, a secure business environment and lasting peace.
Looking ahead to 2027, the party said it is prepared to offer what it described as transparent, responsive and results-driven governance under leaders such as Mazi Chima Matthew Amadi and Rt. Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, insisting that Imo’s enormous potential can still be unlocked.
