Owerri, Imo State – His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State, will unveil the 2026 Budget Estimates to the Imo State House of Assembly on Monday, December 22, 2025, at 1:00 PM.

In line with tradition, the budget presentation will spotlight the administration’s achievements over the past fiscal years and chart the roadmap for the coming year.

Date: Monday, December 22, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM
Venue: Imo State House of Assembly

The event is open to esteemed Imo Leaders, Religious Leaders, Traditional Rulers, and all stakeholders. Arrangements have been finalized to ensure a seamless experience for attendees.

Signed,
Hon. Declan Emelumba
Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has criticized the House of Representatives for failing to criminalize vote-buying at party primaries, calling it a “setback for Nigeria’s democracy”.

Obi argues that allowing vote-buying to persist undermines internal democracy and weakens the credibility of elections. “By refusing to criminalize vote-buying at the foundational stage of party primaries, the House has chosen to protect a broken system rather than safeguard the nation’s future,” he stated.

Obi emphasized that credible elections cannot be built on corrupt foundations and national progress cannot be achieved while inducement and bribery are legitimized in the democratic process.

He expressed concern that the culture of vote-buying has trickled down to town unions, village associations, clubs, and even student elections, with these groups emulating fraudulent politicians.

The House of Representatives had rejected a proposal to criminalize the inducement of voters during party primaries, citing concerns that such provisions could be abused to harass political opponents.

Obi’s criticism adds to growing pressure on Nigerian lawmakers to demonstrate commitment to electoral integrity.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke and the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2026 election in Osun State, Bola Oyebamiji, have exchanged words over the condition of the state’s health sector.

Oyebamiji had earlier pledged to undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the health sector if elected, alleging that health facilities across the state were in a moribund condition.

He described the state of healthcare infrastructure as a major setback to development in Osun State.

Oyebamiji, through his campaign movement coordinator, Adebayo Adedeji, insisted that the health sector had deteriorated under the current administration.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Adedeji said criticism of Oyebamiji would not alter facts he said were already in the public domain.

He cited a report by CheckMyPHC.org, which revealed “significant workforce gaps in Osun’s primary healthcare centres and that 73 per cent of PHCs in the state reportedly lack adequate staffing, with many operating with between zero and one personnel, while 44 per cent were said to have no staff at all.”

The report also noted that “several centres lack clean water, functional toilets and basic hygiene facilities, hindering effective healthcare delivery.”

Adedeji recalled that during the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, under whom Oyebamiji served, more than 300 of the state’s 600 primary healthcare centres were renovated, accusing the Adeleke administration of failing to sustain the initiative.

Governor Adeleke, however, dismissed the claims, describing them as baseless and a deliberate attempt at disinformation.

The governor said Osun currently ranks first in the South-West in the provision of primary healthcare services.

According to Adeleke, his “administration has renovated more than 200 primary healthcare centres across the state since assuming office.”