On January 14, 2020, fortune smiled on Governor Hope Uzodimma when a seven-man panel of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, unanimously declared him as the winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election and the validly elected governor of Imo state. However, two years after the ruling, it has been ’one week, one trouble’ in the Eastern Heartland under his reign. TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI reports:

Till date, many political analysts could still not fathom how Uzodimma who came distant fourth in the results of the election declared on March 11, 2019 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was named the winner of the highly disputed election. According to the result, Emeka Ihedioha the winner of the election who contested under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled a total of 273,404 votes; Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) got 190,364 votes, Ifeanyi Ararume, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) polled 114,676 votes while Uzodimma who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got 96,458 votes.

Shortly after being sworn-in, the governor disclosed that his government will commence the implementation of his three Rs- Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Recovery agenda which was the cardinal points on which he campaigned for votes in the 2019 election.

From all indications, it seems Uzodimma never expected that he will be victorious at the apex court or was not prepared for the challenges of governance altogether.

Aside his media adviser and a few other professionals, he hurriedly assembled a ‘rag tag’ team of Commissioners and Special Advisers who were sworn in on March 2020. Findings showed that many of the analysts were handpicked by godfathers who assisted him in his quest to become governor and provided support during the legal battle, including an aide of the erstwhile national chairman of the ruling party. Many of the commissioners couldn’t grasp the reason why they were appointed. Instead of focusing on their task in helping the governor restore hope to the people of the state, they engaged in dirty politics by trying to dismantle some of the works done by those appointed by the ousted governor, Ihedioha. The result was that governance was at a ridiculously low ebb and many people heavily excoriated Uzodimma, including some of those who applauded him when he got the judgment.

One of the critics was the Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr Ejike Mbaka who said the governor is ‘messing up’. In his New Year Message in 2020, Mbaka had, few days before the ruling of the apex court predicted that Uzodimma would be sworn in as governor

He said “Despite all that would happen this 2020, there is hope. In Imo State, there is hope. Hope, hope, hope … hope in Imo State! “Imo people have suffered (but) God is raising a new hope that would be an agent of salvation for them,” the clergy had said.

However, in a viral, the cleric said the governor has refused to pick his calls just because he wanted to give him advice on good governance.

He said “They said I was the one that prayed for Hope Uzodinma. Hope Uzodinma was like a vision that came to me, how am I involved in it? The message from God just passed through me, I don’t know his political story. Till today someone (Uzodinma) who became Governor has not come to give thanks to God here. I know If he is receiving advice from this sanctuary he will not be messing up. Those advising Uzodinma has killed him while he is still alive. It’s not that I’m asking for money; it’s that I should advise him for good governance”.

Rather than focus his attention on governance, Uzodimma is heavily distracted on many fronts. Activities of unknown gunmen wreaked havoc and inflicted untold hardship on residents of the state and almost paralysed governance activities forcing the governor to temporarily relocate to Abuja. Imo state was also not left out of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which almost brought the world to a standstill in 2020 and 2021.

However, the governor himself has compounded the problems by engaging in war of attrition with his political opponents, the major one being Rochas Okorocha. While many have condemned Okorocha for his alleged greediness in wanting to impose his son-in-law as his successor after serving out eight terms as Imo governor and diverting some government properties to his families and cronies, analysts believed that Uzodimma’s battle with him is borne out of vendetta for not supporting his governorship ambition in 2019 rather the recovery of state property as the state government has repeatedly claimed.

Reacting to the developments in the state, the PDP in the state expressed dismay over the imbroglio happening in the state over time, accusing the APC led government and members to stop the panic caused by the party in the state.

The state publicity secretary of PDP, Ogubundu Nwadike said “we wish to add that since the inception of the present APC Government in the state, Imo State has never experienced any modicum of peace rather the state has continued to wallow and dangle on the debris of hopelessness, misgovernance and massive developmental haemorrhage. Rather than tormenting and unleashing terror on the Imolites, the APC Government in the state should begin to champion a harmonized and defined strategy for leadership excellence and good governance.

“We hereby call on the Federal Government to reign in their surrogates in Imo State to avoid a total breakdown of law and anarchy in Imo State before it’s too late”.

In May 2021, the governor carried out a major cabinet reshuffle by sacking 20 of the 27 commissioners in the cabinet while retaining just eight. Many of those axed were those who were imposed on him and made no notable contributions to his administration. He has since appointed new ones who were sworn-in in late last year. urged the new commissioners to remain selfless in their service to the state and uphold the confidence reposed in them.

During a phone-in programme in one of the radio stations in Owerri, Ozisa FM to mark the governor’s one year in office, some indigenes of the state who called-in during the programme scored Uzodimma low on his performance since assuming office.

One of the callers, Chibuzo Osuji, stated that Uzodimma had not been paying civil servants and pensioners, adding that his selective payment style of workers was alien to civil service.

He said, “My elder brother who is a civil servant has been complaining of salary slash. I thought he was joking only to find out that he could not pay one of his sons first term primary school fees. In fact, he is battling with life.

“It was gathered from most civil servants in the state that workers’ salaries are being slashed. Somebody who earns N170,000 as monthly statutory salary goes home now with N140,000 and other times N120,000. It is important to state that this salary does not come as and when due.”

Another caller, Mrs Chidinma Uzohu, described Uzodimma as a failure, adding that since he came on board as the governor, nothing better had happened compared to when Emeka Ihedioha was in charge.

A caller, Chibuzo Onyedika, however scored the governor 50 per cent. He said there were some factors that militated against him in office.

He said, “Let us not remove our mindset from the fact that as Uzodimma entered office, COVID-19 set in. There is also serious economic meltdown in the country. When one puts all these and more together, one would be able to come to reality with the situation on ground in Imo.”

However, Special Adviser to the Governor on Print (Local Media), Modestus Nwankpa, alleged that PDP members are the ones behind the governor’s poor rating.

He said, “The people who are doing all these are people against our governor. “Uzodimma came to correct the anomalies meted to the state by the former governor, Rochas Okorocha. I want to emphatically say that the callers are purely PDP members. It is noteworthy that a governor is not rated through a radio call-in programme.”

Giving its verdict on the governor’s two years in office, the PDP in a statement described Uzodimma as a huge disappointment to the people of the state.

The PDP, which passed the verdict in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Emenike Nmerenini, stated that Uzodimma’s lack of purposeful and visionary governance since his assumption of office has taken the state far backwards from where he met it, adding that Uzodimma’s two years in office has been marred with “desperate usurpation, bloodshed, treasury looting, starvation and hopelessness”

The PDP accused the administration of abdicating “the primary obligation of government as prescribed by the Constitution, which is the security of lives and property.

“Our party notes with great pain that within two years, Senator Uzodimma has made our state, Imo, the unemployment capital of Nigeria. It is noteworthy that the relevant rating board, the Presidential Business Enabling Environment Council, has consistently placed Imo at the lowest rung of the ladder in terms of ease of doing business in Nigeria. Worse still, within two years, our state ranks highest in the South East in terms of infant and maternal mortality rates.Imo has collapsed under Gov. Uzodimma”.

However, Oguwike Nwachuku, Chief Press Secretary/ Media Adviser to the governor believed that he has been running a purposeful government in the last two years.

According to him “ Today, the scorecard of Governor Uzodimma, two years down the road has left the naysayers with nothing more to say because of the many completed projects that dot the Imo State landscape which are to his credit. The speed at which the vehicle of Governor Uzodimma’s Shared Prosperity 3-R mantra – Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Recovery –is moving has reinforced the confidence the people have in the Governor that he has not come to Imo State to joke or jest”.
https://independent.ng/spotlight-on-uzodimmas-two-years-of-stewardship-in-imo/

The SE has been producing mediocres for a while, party lines notwithstanding.

Kabongo1:
The SE has been producing mediocres for a while, party lines notwithstanding.

People like you are some of the reasons that make me sometimes wanna support Lai Mohammed in regulating the use of social media.

Because it’s obvious you have poor or no information of what happens anywhere in Nigeria yet you would wanna talk.

Tell me the Nigerian governor that is better than Umahi. Or is Umahi a governor in Osun?

Willie Obiano midwifed Anambra State building an International Airport without borrowing a single kobo from either local or foreign lenders. Or is Willie Obiano the governor of Ogun?

Which Nigerian governor has beaten Peter Obi’s record as Anambra governor when it comes to investments and savings?

Have you heard of Sullivan Chime before? I bet you never did.

Please don’t be insulting people’s sensibilities and intelligence by delving into what you don’t know.

With that said, Uzodimma has been a disaster in Imo State.

If he had brains in his medulla, he would used this undeserved opportunity that Supreme Court gave him to prove to Imolites that he is a better alternative to Ihedioha but the fool is just too daft to do so.

Imo ndo.

DIS RAM HOPE,ALWAYS SQUEEZING FACE,HATE OKOROCHA THE CLOWN,WITH PASSION








HOPEFULLY,ONE DAY HOPE WILL TELL US,WHO KILLED GULLAK

Don't generalize.

Kabongo1:
The SE has been producing mediocres for a while, party lines notwithstanding.

Current best governor in SE in terms of security..

Uzodimma has been a curse to Imo State. Under his administration, Imo has become a killing field. 90% of the so called 'unknown gunmen' activity is in Imo state.

Uzodimma was the only Governor in the South East to invite the military in and his state has become a theater of war. Orlu has bern burnt, Awo-Mma mma has been burnt, Izombe has been burnt, all destroyed by the military he invited in and many have been killed.

Imo state has known no peace since Uzodimma came. He is fighting everyone, his political enemies, IPOB, traditional rulers, clergymen, everyone

May God save Imo state

Okorocha accused him of being responsible for unknowngunmen

gidgiddy:
Uzodimma has been a curse to Imo State. Under his administration, Imo has become a killing field. 90% of the so called 'unknown gunmen' activity is in Imo state.

Uzodimma was the only Governor in the South East to invite the military in and his state has become a theater of war. Orlu has bern burnt, Awo-Mma mma has been burnt, Izombe has been burnt, all destroyed by the military he invited in and many have been killed.

Imo state has known no peace since Uzodimma came. He is fighting everyone, his political enemies, IPOB, traditional rulers, clergymen, everyone

May God save Imo state

How has he fared? Everybody can tell cos it's very obvious, gidgiddy has said it all.

How a man who came fourth was declared governor still baffles me till today

1F30M4:
How has he fared? Everybody can tell cos it's very obvious, gidgiddy has said it all.

Penguin2:


People like you are some of the reasons that make me sometimes wanna support Lai Mohammed in regulating the use of social media.

Because it’s obvious you have poor or no information of what happens anywhere in Nigeria yet you would wanna talk.

Tell me the Nigerian governor that is better than Umahi. Or is Umahi a governor in Osun?

Willie Obiano midwifed Anambra State building an International Airport without borrowing a single kobo from either local or foreign lenders. Or is Willie Obiano the governor of Ogun?

Which Nigerian governor has beaten Peter Obi’s record as Anambra governor when it comes to investments and savings?

Have you heard of Sullivan Chime before? I bet you never did.

Please don’t be insulting people’s sensibilities and intelligence by delving into what you don’t know.

With that said, Uzodimma has been a disaster in Imo State.

If he had brains in his medulla, he would used this undeserved opportunity that Supreme Court gave him to prove to Imolites that he is a better alternative to Ihedioha but the fool is just too daft to do so.

Imo ndo.

You are on point!