As the bell tolls on the politics of 2027, those outside power are craving to supplant those holding power, while those holding power are striving to consolidate. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, belongs to the latter category with his quest to return to the Senate, which he left barely seven years ago to sit at the helm of affairs in his state, LAWRENCE NJOKU writes.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, seems not to understand any other language than politics. Available records indicate that he literally lives in politics. This is because since joining politics in the Second Republic through the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), where he then became the youth leader in his Imo State, Uzodimma has continued to make himself relevant in almost every political dispensation, switching parties.
With the return of democracy in 1999, he joined the PDP. He served at various levels and contested elections. In 2011, he was elected into the Senate to represent the people of Imo West. He was in the Senate until 2019 when he ran for the governorship election of his state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2020, the Supreme Court declared him winner of the election and he was sworn in. By January next year when the elections would be going on, Uzodimma would be completing the third year of his second term in office.
But many who are expecting him to remain in office until January 15, 2028, would be disappointed as he has indicated interest not to serve out his tenure.
Instead, Uzodimma is ready to sacrifice the remaining part of it and return to the Senate to represent the Imo West Senatorial District. This was a seat the governor left seven years ago after serving for eight years (2011 – 2019) to become the governor of Imo State.
He has already clinched his party’s ticket. If he wins the general poll, it means he would automatically quit the governorship seat in June next year since the Constitution and the Electoral Act do not permit a person to hold two elective offices at the same time. So, in the event of victory at the poll, Uzodimma will have to shelve the remaining months of his governorship tenure to concentrate in the Senate, which offers him opportunity to represent only one-third of the state.
Section 183 of the Constitution specifically bars a governor from holding any other executive office or paid employment simultaneously. It further provides that he can only resign from his position on taking the oath of another office.
What this means is that Uzodimma would remain on seat even after the election if he wins until the next National Assembly is proclaimed in June next year by the president.
But will Uzodimma really quit the Imo governorship seat just to represent one-third of the state? Will he really forfeit the office without an eye on who serves out the remaining part of his tenure?
Reports emanating from the state since his Senate aspiration was mooted indicate that the governor may not be ready to leave the governorship seat without a hand in who succeeds him.
Recently, there were reports that Uzodimma’s deputy, Mrs. Chinyere Ekomaru, was being pressured to resign. The unconfirmed reports said the move was part of the plot by the governor to appoint a trusted successor who would stand in the gap to complete his tenure when he goes to the Senate. The reports claimed that Ekomaru’s resignation would allow Uzodimma to appoint another loyal deputy from Orlu zone and an interim governor from Owerri zone.
Ekomaru became Uzodimma’s deputy in 2023. When he picked her to replace Prof. Placid Njoku, he stated that it was aimed at adding value to his gubernatorial ticket.
“I expect Imo women to appreciate this gesture as my genuine appreciation of their innate strength and capacity to contribute to the growth of our state,” he stated.
Meanwhile, as the rest of the state watch to know how he solves the challenge of enlisting a trusted “place holder” to complete his tenure and the place of Ekomaru, what has kept tongues wagging is the motivating factor behind his quest to return to a seat he left several years ago? He had told all those that cared to listen that he was going to the Senate to serve his people and President Bola Tinubu by ensuring that right laws are made for the development of the country.
“My dear people of Imo West have once again called upon me to serve, and I have accepted this noble call with utmost humility, sincerity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to the collective advancement of our people,” he stated.
Uzodimma further said his aspiration was to support the Tinubu administration through, “quality representation, effective legislation, enhanced development and sustainable progress.”
Pundits, however, believe that it is all about him and nothing more. They asked for a record on the number of bills he sponsored while serving as a senator for eight years. They insisted that if indeed it is for the generality of his people, how come he would not allow any other politician from his zone to continue from where he had stopped in the Senate.
Sources, however, stated that the quest to return to the Senate is to enable Uzodimma become the Senate President should Tinubu win re-election in 2027. It is believed that since Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima are Muslims, the tendency is that the party may like to retain the Senate presidency position in the South-South or Southeast with a Christian.
Uzodimma, having tasted executive position and is currently the chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) as well as leader of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA); a group at the vanguard of Tinubu’s second term bid, would have these to his advantage when opportunities in the Senate are being discussed.
There are also strong rumours about 2031 when power would rotate to the North. The calculation is that should the current vice president remain in office until then, there is a possibility that he might want to run for presidency. Being positioned as senate president would help Uzodimma to bargain to become his running mate or any other politician endorsed by the party from the North.
Speaking on the development, a Political Scientist, Dr. Levi Agunwa, explained that politicians would always count their eggs before they hatch, stressing that there are no impossibilities around them.
He insisted that Uzodimma’s style gives him out as a “desperate” politician, who would not leave anything to chance in order to acquire political power.
“Take a look into his profile; you will see someone that believes only in himself. You were in the Senate for eight years and left it to become governor. Now, less than eight years after, you want to return to the Senate.
“If we are truly practicing democracy, there is no way this kind of a thing can continue to happen. Does it mean that Imo West seat is reserved only for Uzodimma? You were in the Senate and from there moved to Imo Government House. Natural justice should be able to guide your decisions to at least allow another part of your constituency to produce the next senator in 2027,” he stated.
Agunwa’s position was reechoed by a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Imo State, Donald Eberechi, who insisted that such attitude is responsible for the distortions in the country’s democratic journey.
He asked: “How come it is becoming difficult for our politicians to allow others taste political power? You saw how the Senate President attempted to twist Senate rules to his advantage the other day. That was because he wants to return in 2027 as senate president.
“Uzodimma is not going to the Senate to push for better legislation for the country. He only wants to occupy a position so as to use it for future bargains. There are many who should do better if given opportunity as senators. If I were him, I would support a younger person to the Senate, while he stays back to give advice. That is the way statesmen are made.”
But should the Southeast relish in his becoming a senate president in 2027? A political analyst, Jude Obiorah, said that the zone is more interested in ruling the country, explaining that occupying the number three position had never impacted the region.
“All the region wants is to have a fair share in the power equation. A situation such as we are in, becoming senate president means nothing to the people. All that Uzodimma is angling for is to serve Tinubu and not necessarily the Southeast. So, when you have a man in such a desperate situation, it is as good as not having a representation,” he said.
Obiorah cited the tenure of Uzodimma as governor in Imo State, stressing that “the better part of it has been spent in Abuja, and not necessarily in the state where he is elected to serve.”
“This is also an indication that he will not like to move away from the presidency in any chosen assignment,” he noted.
To him, politicians use the country’s democracy to create opportunities for themselves to remain relevant in power allocations and equations.
“The practice would always hunt the system and discourage competition,” he said.
