THE NOVEMBER 2023 IMO GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Written by By Kenneth Uwadi

I read a newspaper publication where the PDP in Imo State through its Publicity Secretary, Collins Opurozor with his usual ‘dogo turanche’ (big English), stressed that Governor Uzodinma of Imo had performed poorly to deserve another term. He said PDP is coming back and that Imolites enjoyed 2019 when the PDP was in power. By PDP coming back, Opurozor means that Emeka Ihedioha (who has made himself the sole administrator and lord of Imo PDP) is coming back.

First, I wish to congratulate the PDP’s publicity secretary for making another empty statement. I laugh at the crocodile tears.  He knows that Ndi-Imo will not forget in a hurry the anti-poor, inefficient, and irresponsible PDP government of Emeka Ihedioha in 2019.When PDP was in power in Imo the more money the state government got, the more miserable the vast majority of the masses of the state became. For over 7 months, they ran the polity in an undemocratic manner with no sense of focus and direction. The government was embedded and encapsulated in all kinds and forms of conflicts. With all the conflicts, Emeka Ihedioha was only jumping from one country to another, with no tangible goods on the table of the average Imo man. Ihedioha had so many thieving state officials in his cabinet and an ‘impressive’ 100% corruption rate. For the over 7 months he was in power, government officials were stealing monies, acquiring posh cars for luxury, mansions for domestic staff to live in, wives to caress their cosmetic faces and  chop-chop titles on taxpayers monies. It was looting galore for them. 

Quite naturally, the first instinctive wish of the suffering working people in Imo and the poor  was to do away with  Ihedioha’s   unjust and rotten dispensation. Governor Hope Uzodinma’s emergence saved the state from doom. I make bold to say that may Emeka Ihedioha not happen to Imo State again. No one needs to be a political analyst or soothsayer to know that  a “victory” in  the November 2023 Imo governorship elections for PDP will be a victory for an anti-poor , wicked and corrupt politician who will as usual bring greater economic and political disaster on the vast majority of the masses. In other words, such “victory” will bring about the resumption  and intensification of wickedness,  anti-poor policies and rapacious corruption. And to this we say “God forbid bad-thing”, Omanme n’ Imo . 

Uzodinma symbolizes what a good politician who craves service to the people and good governance should be. His passion for good governance for Imo people is legendary. And for me the governor must accept the call by many Imo people for him to contest for a second term as the State Governor. He deserves a second term considering his achievements in the last three years and the fact that he needs time to complete his initiatives and move the state to greater heights. Here is a governor who came into office at a time when revenue receipts to the state were at the lowest ebb. In spite of this daunting challenge, that was occasioned by the poor price of oil at the international market and vandalization of oil and gas installations, Covid 19 problems and terrorism, the governor moved on with his human and capital development agenda which today is transforming all parts of the state.

Uzodinma has been committed to using the resources of the state to better the lots of the vast majority of the  people  in the areas of education, healthcare, roads, provision of employment and adequate development of necessary socio-economic infrastructures, embracing both the cities and the rural areas. Ndi-Imo will continue to support him and will re-elect him to do more. We will not support  pro-capitalist, pro-privatization and neo-liberal politicians and parties like PDP. We will continue to fight for and support the  poor people oriented governance of Governor Hope Uzodinma . We will have nothing to do with the  looters  and wicked paradise of the likes of Emeka Ihedioha where only a few own hundreds of billions of naira while tens of millions of our people live in perpetual misery. 

As opposed to the prevailing situation in which public resources are looted by those in government, the Uzodinma’s government is committing  the  public resources to adequate provision of basic needs  for the poor masses and workers. He has ensured that the resources of the state are democratically managed and controlled in order to prevent them from being looted by public officers and contractors. More importantly, the 3R  government is identifying  with the poor masses and workers in their daily struggles against neo-liberal capitalist onslaught on their living and working conditions. Much love from me.

 -Kenneth Uwadi lives in Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State Nigeria