Imo 2028: Uzodinma’s Masterstroke Breaks The Jinx

By Comfort Obi

He finally did it, Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State. He finally broke the Jinx. And pointed the way forward. By doing that, he embraced justice and equity.

For 24 years, nobody had the courage to do it. Nobody had the  conviction to do it. It was like a conspiracy to keep two Zones out of the topmost job in their State, a State they are proudly part of.

Perhaps, conspiracy is the wrong word to use here because it was not even hidden. The act was always brazenly and  arrogantly carried out. Numbers of Local Government Areas were flaunted. “We are more in number”, they chorused. It was like: “We have more Local Government Areas even with the Local Government Areas in the two Zones combined. So, what can you do?”

It is not that the others kept quiet. They complained. They grumbled.  They agitated. They asked  questions. They appealed to the consciences of those who called the shots. They appealed to stakeholders.

All these and more re-echoed every four years. But they, usually, came to nought.

Every four years, meetings were held. Promises were made. Atimes, they came close to fulfillment. But not true.  Hopes were raised and dashed.

Imo State, like other States of the Federation, is made up of three Senatrial Zones – Orlu, Okigwe, Owerri. But for 24 years, one Zone, Orlu, like a collosus, bestrode the coveted top seat.  It held the other two by the jugular. Every four years, it gave Imo its Governor. Orlu’s number of Local Government Areas was an advantage.

Let me say this. For me, it is not a problem. I hardly care about where the Governor or President comes from. All I care about is good governance. It is when a leader comes in and shoves nepotism down our throats to a nauseating point, as is oftentimes done in our dear country, Nigeria, that I worry. Otherwise, why should I worry if every Zone, every State, or every Region is given a sense of belonging? But most of our Leaders are so obscenely thoughtless in their distribution of offices. So, you have a situation where some States and/or Regions flaunt many numbers of “Grade  A” ministries and parastatals while the others come off with beggarly and/or token offices. That is when I worry.

But, back to Imo State, it has been all talk and more talk over the rotation of the Governorship seat. Every Governor that comes promises a rotation, especially, to Owerri Zone which has not had the luck of comfortably occupying the seat. It is not for want of trying. Owerri Zone always explained “why it is our turn”, but they end up being short-changed. It has happened a couple of times. Even before it sat down, the rug would be pulled from under its feet.

After the glorious era of Chief Sam Mbakwe (Okigwe Zone) Chief Evan Enwerem (Owerri Zone) got the top job. But he was shooed away by the Military. With the return of democracy in 1999, Chief Achike Udenwa (Orlu) mounted the stable for two consecutive terms of eight years – 1999 to 2007. Then, the pendulum, or so everybody thought, swung towards Owerri Zone. But the treachery that pulled the rug from under Owerri’s feet was unprecedented. It was like daylight robbery.

Chief Martin Agbaso, clearly, won the election in 2007 to succeed Udenwa after Senator Ifeanyi Ararume was short-changed by his own party – PDP. But Out of the blues, “like play, like play, the powers-that-be brazenly intervened and disrupted an otherwise free and fair process. Agbaso’s victory suddenly developed a “k” leg. It was aborted just before it was announced. It was one of the most brazen injustices hurled at Owerri Zone. A new date was fixed for a repeat election. Not a few people protested, especially from Owerri Zone. Not a few advised Agbaso to opt out of that repeat election and head to the Courts. But he chose to participate. He was so sure, given the margin of votes he secured earlier, that he would win. Big mistake.

Behind him, a wicked basket had been woven. The result  was the victory of Chief Ikedi Ohakim who nobody gave a chance. He was a member of a political party which name most Imolites were not aware of. But he won. If Agbaso had gone to Court  to contest the victory which was freely given to him by Imo people, perhaps, we would have had a scenario like that of Rivers State’s Rotimi Amaechi and Celestine Omehia.  Perhaps, Owerri Zone wouldn’t be crying “marginalization” and/or “it is our turn” by now.

Since after Ohakim was denied a second  term in office by lies fabricated,  especially, by  some congregants of the Roman Catholic Church, Orlu has not looked back. Ohakim was falsely accused of  flogging a Rev. Father. The lies brought in Senator Rochas Okorocha.

After Okorocha’s two terms in office, the hope was high for Owerri Zone. Except, perhaps, for inner circles, nobody quite knows the agreement Okorocha reached with Agbaso. But given Agbaso’s story with Ohakim, and given the support Agbaso gave Okorocha, and given that Agbaso’s younger brother, Sir Jude Agbaso, was Okorocha’s  Deputy, it was taken for granted that Okorocha would hand over to Agbaso (Snr), and chosen a running mate for him (perhaps, his beloved son-in-law, Uche Nwosu). But no.

Instead, Okorocha gave Agbaso a stab on the back worse than when his victory was snatched from him.

Agbaso jnr.,  to the endless shame of both the House of Assembly and the Imo State Judiciary at the time, was impeached from office over a lie from the pit of hell. It took God, Agbaso (snr) who fought like a wounded lion, the honesty displayed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFFC, late Pascal Dozie, and two other people who, shall here, remain nameless, to save him from punishment for a fraud he knew nothing about. The hundreds of millions of Naira he was alleged to have stolen was traced to the account of the person, who under instructions, not from Agbaso jnr, moved it out of Nigeria.

So, Okorocha,  instead of picking somebody from Owerri, or even Okigwe, to succeed him, decided to keep it in the family. He picked his, I must admit, seemingly efficient son-in-law to succeed him. But for a quiet, strong revolution, backed by, unknown to him, a couple of people he was close to, Okorocha would have been in office (by proxy) for a straight 16 years.

The Rt. Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, (Owerri Zone) snatched it from him. But it was for a brief period. Ihedioha was succeeded by a man, who from the onset, was pressurized into entering the ring because many felt he had the capacity to fight, even inside the gutter, with Okorocha if it boiled down to that. Those who thought so were correct. Proof?

Nobody can forget how Uzodinma out-maneuvered Okorocha, an incumbent Governor, to pick the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, a Party which foundation member Okorocha is;  a Party he founded in Imo State. It takes a lion heart to perform that feat. Those who know him, closely, say he does not talk much; that he is taciturn, cannot be blackmailed; that once he is focused on what   he wants to do, he does it.

So, enters Uzodinma as the Governor of Imo State. The beginning was rough, very rough, especially, given the circumstances under which he came into office. There was anger from Owerri Zone which felt it has, again, been cheated. Ihedioha is their son. There was anger from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State Chapter, which felt cheated that eight years after it sat on the throne, it suddenly lost it. Its members  took to the streets many times, and threatened fire and brimstone. They fought him with everything. Who can forget some hard-hitting social media- savvy guys who atimes, crossed the red line in their attack of Uzodinma. Add to that the unprecedented  insecurity in the State, including the very unfortunate Owerri jail break. Till date, a couple of people hold him responsible for it. The question some people ask them is: How can a Governor unleash convicted criminals on his own State, his own people?  There was the Covid 19 which held everybody down for over one year. Everything ganged up against him. He was worried, but not shaken, those close to him insisted. Quietly, he began to untangle the obstacles. He won over the members of the House of Assembly. From not having even one member, he got the majority in under one month. That’s something Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was unable to do. With time, Uzodinma won over the hard-hitting social media-savvy guys who gave him hell. They now write for him. In one fell swoop, he beheaded the PDP State Executive Committee. Seven of its members dumped their party and joined him. He tackled infrastructure – roads in particular. And for the first time, Owerri is looking like a State Capital instead of a glorified Local Government Council Headquarters. If the Orashi Power project becomes a success, as it is expected to, Uzodinma would have planted his feet in the sands of time in the State. Yet, to me, the greatest legacy he is leaving behind for  is the coup he smoothly executed in the State this other day. He rescued Owerri and Okigwe from Orlu.

It was at the Imo State Congress of the APC that he, effortlessly pulled off what none of his predecessors could do. Governor Uzodinma  effectively ended the 24 straight years of Orlu Zone’s tenancy at the Government House, Owerri.

Please, excuse a brief background.

There is what is called a Charter of Equity in Imo State. It is a loosely-binding, not-written agreement that the office of the Governor should rotate between the three Senatorial Zones. As noted earlier, it is usually mouthed, but never kept. The office, as pointed out earlier here, just ends up in Orlu Zone. And the exiting Governor makes no “pim”.

Now, I forget the date, but a couple of months to the election which gave him a second term in office, Uzodinma summoned a meeting of Imo Elders Forum. A respected body, even if, ceremonial.  It consists of those deemed influential in the State, including the Clergy. At that meeting, they put a stamp to that Charter of Equity which had always been mouthed, but never implemented.

According to the document as was, obviously, pushed by the Governor, after the incumbent’s tenure, Owerri Zone will take the top job, and after Owerri, Okigwe will follow,  before it reverts to Orlu. This means eight years of Owerri Zone, eight years of Okigwe Zone – a total of 16 years, before it goes back to Orlu Zone.

Many people laughed; they said the Governor was not serious. My beloved Imo is not only the headquarters of petition writers,  destructive and malicious gossips also abound. So, the story went out that Uzodinma was just playing to the gallery; that he was just mouthing it to curry favour from Owerri and Okigwe for his second term election. Not a few people believed the stories.

But on March 3, 2026, at the APC State Congress, Uzodinma gave teeth to the barking. He saw to it that an Orlu man was elected the State Chairman of the APC. To do that, the smooth operator did not allow the  effective Dr. Mcdonald Ebere a second term. He brought in Austin Onyedebelu, who, until this election, was the Managing Director of ISOPADEC, a high profile office.

Here’s the meaning of what Uzodinma did. Since the State Chairman is from Orlu Zone, it simply means that the APC Governorship Candidate will come from Owerri  or Okigwe. By that action, short of saying that he has given all Governorship Candidates from Orlu a technical knockout, let me say he pulled the rug from under their feet. He has, without saying a word, asked all Orlu Governorship aspirants to stand down and wait till after 16 years.

For Imo State, the Governor has provided a road map to 2028. One can safely wedger, here, that the two “living” parties in the State, APC and the African Democratic Congress, ADC, will present Governorship Candidates from either Owerri or Orlu. So, let me take a risk here.

Given that Uzodinma has kept to his words by fencing Orlu off, I believe he would also keep to the prepared time-table, which is: that Owerri will take the slot after his two terms, followed by Okigwe Zone.

I can also safely say that the ADC will field a candidate from Owerri Zone, most probably, Ihedioha who, aside from being the heartbeat of the Party in the State, is a good mobilizer. As for the other Political Parties, including, sadly, the PDP,  I’m not about to give them a chance. Time was when one could have added PDP and Labour Party. But no longer. Their souls have since been extracted from them. What one sees are empty shells, soulless and spineless. On Uzodinma’s watch, what happened in 2007 when a little unknown party snatched the trophy is not likely  to repeat, what with Ihedioha on the ballot too for ADC.

What the Governor has done in moving the Governorship slot out of Orlu should not be taken for granted. It is a big deal. It gives every Zone a sense of belonging. It enhances the unity amongst the three zones.

He has done his beat. What remains now is for the stakeholders in the two Zones, Owerri and Okigwe, in consultation with their Orlu counterparts, to work things out, especially, as Okigwe has already, just this recently, taken  the Ambassadorial slot.

But back to the Governor Uzodinma: Believe this. He will be remembered as one who gave bite to what his predecessors had no courage to do. And, excuse this cliché dear readers: He took the bull by the horn, cemented the unity among the three Zones by giving Owerri and Okigwe a sense of belonging. Thanks Mr Governor.

Obi is the Editor-in-Chief/CEO of The Source (Magazine), https://thesourceng.com.  Email: [email protected], [email protected]