2023 Imo Gubernatorial Election: Uzodimma Remains Unstoppable 

Unstoppable people keep their inner fire burning by developing the qualities necessary to become successful.

Unstoppable people believe in themselves and  do not succumb to challenges, they have a clear vision.

Unstoppable leaders understand that ego and jealousy are projected by fear. They recognize that if left unchecked, these emotions will get in the way of their own success, they take action and persist and the Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma is an unstoppable leader. He will govern Imo State for eight years and nothing created will stop it from happening.

Unstoppable people/leaders are always great and quite special in history.  Examples include the last Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great, and the most famous of the Anglo-Saxon kings, Alfred the Great.

However, Alexander the Great – the military genius, who never lost a battle and established a vast empire, was outstanding.  His influence on Greek and Asian culture was so immense that it inspired a new historical epoch – the Hellenistic Period, just like the era of Shared Prosperity in Imo State presently.

Alexander inspired such loyalty in his men that they were ready to follow him anywhere and if necessary, die in the process, so also are the Apostles and loyal men of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma.

Upon becoming the President of the United States at the depth of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action.

Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma did the same when he promised on assumption of office that it will not be business as usual and vowed to reposition a despondent and exploited Imo State on the irreversible trajectory of economic prosperity, which he has done.

When Roosevelt was elected President in November 1932, to the first of four terms, there were 13,000,000 unemployed Americans, and almost every bank was closed. In his first “hundred days,” he proposed, and Congress enacted, a sweeping programme to bring recovery to business and agriculture, relief to the unemployed and to those in danger of losing farms and homes. By 1935 the United States had achieved some measure of recovery.

Interestingly, Gov. Uzodimma is replicating same feat in Imo State today.

Roosevelt also had security challenges like Governor Uzodimma although his was on a global scale when the ‘mad men’ of Japan launched an unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor during the second World War and that opened the gate of hell for the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the dropping of the atomic bomb but Uzodimma’s security challenges, which he had successfully contained were politically-motivated.

I chose to do the foregoing historical reflection in order to put the theme of this piece in proper perspective.

Fact is that when Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma became the Governor of Imo State, there was so much despondency in the land and the State was in complete disarray after eight ‘locust years” and seven months of spirited desperation by Ihedioha and co.

Gov. Uzodimma met an empty treasury and Ihedioha did not give him any handover note.

According to Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma during an appearance on Channels Television programme, Politics Today: “I’m sure political observers like you will agree with me that given the situation in Imo State before 2020 when I became the governor and the situation in Imo State today, being three years after, a lot of things are there for people to know that there is a huge difference.

“When I came to Imo State, I met a moribund State. The State was in distress. The state that I can even say was in the cemetery and I exhumed the body. Can you imagine a State where, when I came as a governor, everybody absconded? No handover note, and there was no compass for me to navigate the aircraft. I started picking and harvesting information from official and unofficial quarters. I was able to establish a nominal roll; I was able to re-establish the Civil Service; I created a payroll, and began to rehabilitate all dilapidated infrastructure. The infrastructural deficit was so huge. All the roads were not motorable, all the hospitals were not working.

“Then I started. From Orlu to Owerri then, will take you almost 4 hours. Today you can go from Orlu to Owerri in less than 30 minutes. From Okigwe to Owerri; you will spend even 5 hours at a point called Ekemele. Today, within 35 minutes, from Okigwe you are in Owerri. Now, I am also doing the road from Owerri to Mbaise to Umuahia. It was a journey of almost six hours. Even with the work we’ve done so far; nearing almost 70% completion, you will do Umuahia to Owerri in less than 40 minutes. We have also reconstructed some other roads in the rural hinterland – rural roads and urban roads, totalling over 100 roads have been restored and the people are jubilant. The school system is running;  medicare is running; there are so many things to show both the tangible and intangible; so it is not about what to show because people have already seen what I have done, and the request there is for me to continue.

“The politically contrived insecurity that besieged the State during my time, was so enormous and capable of overwhelming the state. But we were able to resist it and with the support of almighty God and the President of the country then, President Muhammadu Buhari, we got the assistance of the security agencies and rescued the state from total collapse.

“And today if you go to Imo State, even on the streets, the opinion poll is that “WE WANT HOPE, WE WANT HOPE. There is only one Hope. Hope Uzodimma is the man, who brought hope to Imo State.”

Indeed, Hope Uzodimma is the man who brought hope to Imo and the opinion poll is true.

As candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Gov. Uzodimma is seeking re-election in the state’s governorship election scheduled for November 11, 2023 and he is unstoppable because of his outstanding achievements, impeccable credentials including intimidating political pedigree, his humility, philanthropy, simplicity, vision, composure, versatility and incredible mystical aura that attracts favour and victory – remember he is still the Mystical Hope Uzodimma and indomitable.

Among the other candidates including Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP), Senator Athan Achonu (Labour Party), Anthony Ejiogu (All Progressives Grand Alliance), and Ikenga Okere (Accord Party), none has the requisite capabilities, reach and strength to stop Uzodimma and this is worsened by the fact that as ‘fringe candidates’ they have no record of achievements that are significant enough to give them a head start. They are a weightless bunch in a basket of failure.

However, I urge all courageous supporters of Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to remain resolute and focused as there is work to be done.

Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma is just the best. He is God-sent, he is caring, he is a great leader with charm and clear vision.

He is like Alexander the Great and President Roosevelt in many respects especially in terms of extraordinary achievements and unstoppable characteristic.

Now he is focused on industrial revolution for Imo State in his second term. Who can beat that? He is “Talk and do Governor.” He walks the talk but his opponents are mere pretenders, whose aim is to deceive Imo people with fake promises and empty propaganda. The opponents of Governor Uzodimma lack public administration experience, hence they cannot be trusted.

We know their tactics. They are deceivers and nobody should take them serious.

Come November 11, 2023 victory is assured as we do the needful.

Imo mmammanu!!!

God bless Imo State!

– Prince Ben AHANONU is Special Adviser to the Governor of Imo State on CSDP.