Worried by thier governor’s continued staying away from official responsibilities back home, the people of Imo State have urgently called on Senator Hope Uzodimma to immediately head home and face the multiple challenges facing the area and find lasting solutions to them.
At the time of filing this news item, Uzodimma had spent about two straight months in Abuja, consequently fuelling the demand by his subjects for his immediate return home.
A member of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Imo State branch, Barrister Canice Madukaji, stated that inasmuch as the governor’s presence was needed in Abuja for national politics, given the fact that he is the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum as well as the chairman of the South East Governor’s Forum, Uzodimma’s primary and constitutional responsibility was domiciled in Imo.
According to him, “There is the absolute necessity to put the records meaningfully straight here. By the dual positions of Governor Uzodimma as the chief executive officer of Imo State and his selection as the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, he is duty bound to occasionally be in Abuja for what is called national politics.
“Yet, it must have to be ironed out that Uzodimma’s primary and constitutional responsibilities are accurately situated for peace, orderliness, growth and development of Imo State. And for him to adequately carry out these onerous tasks, he is duty bound to stay put in the state in order to comprehend as well as find ways to solve the numerous challenges besieging the state, particularly insecurity, infrastructural decay and joblessness.
“Therefore, it is absolutely condemnable if the allegations we have been hearing that Governor Uzodimma has been in Abuja for about two months running, is true. He has the rights and duties to visit Abuja to attend to few national issues confronting him. But staying there for two straight months is uncalled for”.
Imo residents and people of the state are of the opinion that the real reason popular radio presenter and broadcaster, Comrade Theodore Chinonso Una also known as Nonso Nkwa, was arrested and taken to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for questioning, was his incessant asking of why was the governor perpetually staying in FCT rather than being in Owerri, the Imo State capital, to attend to the various problems holding the enclave from growth and development.
“Take it from me that all of us are worried even as we have been asking questions about the governor’s whereabouts, because he has not been in Imo for about two months now. And this is why things are extremely going worse in the state, especially insecurity.
“Before now, insecurity was synonymous with the Orlu Zone. But right now, it has shifted to Owerri and Okigwe areas of the state. These were some of the issues that made Nonso Nkwa to be shouting at his Ozisa FM radio station and had continued asking “where is Imo governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma”? “Why is he in Abuja for about two months running”? “Uzodimma must return to Imo”.
“These were Nonso Nkwa’s concerns, just like most of us. Right now, Nonso Nkwa is arrested and has been charged with a criminal libel by the Imo State Government through a petition brought by the commissioner of information and strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba. Yet, the demand still rages: Imo people want Uzodimma to return home. His continued absence from his exalted position is not to our best interest”, Ebuka Afam Echi, a public affairs analyst, submitted.
As another human rights and social crusader in the state, Comrade Duru Daniels, put it, “Investigation I conducted confirmed that many Imo State communities have been submerged by numerous degrees of erosions, and in worst proportions.
“The people in remote villages are under the pangs of poverty due to joblessness even as both curable and non curable illness are killing both the aged and the young regularly in the face of collapsed medical facilities. What of the renewed insecurity now dancing uncontrolled in Owerri and Okigwe zones?
“And the governor, for two months and still counting, is still in Abuja. We do not know what he is really doing there. We hear, he is deeply involved in national politics – this is good because Imo is a part of Nigeria. But he is not Abuja governor. He is Imo State governor and we urge him to race home to face the problems here”.
It is the opinion of one of the best known socio – political commentators in the state, FCC Jones that Governor is in Abuja to find a way to safely secure his second term ambition in the November 11, 2023 governorship election. Jones said many things are going on in Abuja, which, if Uzodimma does not get himself involved in the “Nigerian way” of politics, he might be knocked out of the way. He still joined other numerous well meaning members of the state in calling Uzodimma to rush back home as many things, according to him, are going on wrongly in the state.
