By Ogu Bundu Nwadike, MA
Of course, the lease of the 2027 governorship in Imo State is still over 20 months away. Expectedly, in the true nature and character of democratic politics, political parties and aspirants of all sorts are brandishing their assorted aspirations to succeed Governor Uzodimma in the State.
There’s nothing wrong about that, as far as the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression is concerned and binding. Governor Uzodimma, in his capacity as leader, governor and political father of Imo people, has gently been providing due guide for politicians to respect the established rules of engagement, urging politicians not to heat up the peaceful polity with untimely profuse politicking.
Incidentally, there are growing and increasing erroneous insinuations that much of what will happen with the 2027 guber elections depend on Governor Uzodimma’s whims and caprices. Yet, it’s very clear that Governor Uzodimma is zealously still working harder and delivering good leadership and good governance, as if he were a newly elected and inaugurated governor.
Moreover, though Governor Uzodimma is the leader of the ruling APC in Imo State, he won’t be on the ballot in the 2027 guber election. Governor Uzodimma is very much aware that the 2027 guber election is still many months, and engaging in early core politicking isn’t lawful, also lacking in tact and strategy.
Governor Uzodimma hasn’t prevented or stopped any party or anybody from playing politics both covertly and remotely. All that Governor Uzodimma has been doing is to moderate the progress in line with political rules of engagement to guide against unlawful political conduct capable of heating up the polity in the serene State. Even with Governor Uzodimma’s influence over the engagements by Imo APC, he doesn’t have any influence over the activities of other political parties in the State, does he?
Governor Uzodimma has repeatedly repeated it that he won’t involve himself in any conspiracy of imposition of the next governor of Imo State on Ndimo. Rather, Governor Uzodimma has severally publicly declared that he looks up to Imo people to activate due processes and procedures of politics, within the ambit of the law and legality to produce the next governor of Imo State.
As a man of his words, Governor Uzodimma won’t impose any candidate on his party, APC, neither will he impose the next governor on Imo and Ndimo, just as he has been saying. Hence, it’s better to believe Governor Uzodimma on his statements than doubt him on such very sensitive issue and matter, as the 2027 elections in Imo State.
Therefore, it’s unacceptably incisive and unnecessary for speculative analysts to keep insisting that Governor Uzodimma’s reticence over the 2027 politics and guber election is hurting and harming political engineering in the State. For Governor Uzodimma, it’s still good leadership and good governance o’clock in Imo State, not yet politics o’clock.
Governor Uzodimma still has Imo infrastructure to spread and expand, just as he still has the full digitalization of Imo State to strengthen. Governor Uzodimma is still growing and developing the health sector, and indeed all other sectors, whose foundations he has solidly laid. In fact, Governor Uzodimma is evidently still working hard to institutionalize better life for all in Imo State. Is that bad or wrong to do?
Should Governor Uzodimma relax and sacrifice the good work he’s doing in Imo for Ndimo, in order to unwisely focus on politics and politicking for a guber election that’s still nearly two years away? I think some politicians and people misunderstand Governor Uzodimma’s take and position on the upcoming politics and elections of 2027.
Governor Uzodimma doesn’t prevent or stop the inevitable progress of politics in Imo State. Politicians should go ahead with playing politics, but remain law-abiding and peace-loving, while crossing the many rivers of 2027 politics and elections as the relevant bridges emerge. For instance, going by official schedules by INEC, it’s now membership e-registration, congresses, and conventions o’clock in Nigerian politics, and all politicians are expected to focus on those. It’s not yet 2027 election o’clock per se.
The system of shunting over some urgent and critical levels and stages of the 2027 politics and elections to make the governorship election the only issue for Imo 2027 smacks of distractive greed and avaricious selfishness by hungry politicians and speculative analysts. Politics is a game of times and systems, not a game for aggressive gamblers and ramblers.
Governor Uzodimma mustn’t be distracted by hyperactive politicians and analysts, who are craftily agitating for untimely politics and politicking by the governor.
What Governor Uzodimma needs now are are assorted encouragement and support from all well-meaning Imolites at home and abroad, by the ways of hearty prayers, goodwill messages, and commendations for all his sustainable good work in Imo State.
Nothing, not even Obote men bubuyaya and vamvum political noises, will be enough to distract Governor Uzodimma and derail him from finishing strong as he coasts home to January 15, 2028. Politicians should key into Governor Uzodimma’s gospel of political peace and patience as 2027 steadily unfolds with its unknown packages and packaging.
