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…Says Imo unapologetically a one-party state
By Romanus Ugwu
Imo State Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has boasted that the state is unrepentantly a one party state ready to give massive votes to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
He spoke while hosting the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Media team on tour of Federal and state government projects in the state.
The chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said that President Tinubu is standing solidly on the ground of performance to be re-elected in 2027.
Uzodimma, who is also the chairman of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, said that Imo residents are appreciative of Tinubu’s policies and programmes.
His words: “Our people have already decided that they want President Tinubu back as the president because without him, his policies and programmes, this environment we are enjoying today would have been very impossible to achieve.
“So, you are at home and that is the name now that opens doors in Imo State. Discuss with us and also move from here to other states because I am almost certain that many governors of APC in Nigeria are working so hard, deploying the additional revenue that has accrued.”
Uzodimma said he backed Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal, explaining that the policy has freed up more resources for states across the country.
“In 2020, January 15, when I was sworn in to be the governor of this state, the accountant-general told me in the next two days that they were going to Abuja for FAAC meeting,” he said.
“When he came back from the FAAC meeting, I thought he was going to bring money. He told me after salary we had only N100 million. That was what was happening to many states.
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“Immediately May 29, 2023, came, after FAAC, I saw over N10.7 billion. I said what? So, when people were trying to oppose removal of subsidy I had to put on my belt and my jeans, I came out and said subsidy must be removed.
“So, whatever this man has done to make us have access to funds to help the people must continue. So today, I am indeed very happy and glad that we were able to deploy these resources to do visible programmes and projects. Today, our people are very happy,” he said.
The governor also said the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) under his leadership has increased from N400 million monthly in 2020 to nearly N6 billion at the moment.
“I met an IGR of less than N400 million in 2020. My IGR is very close to N6 billion a month now. In 2020, our debt profile was N287 billion, today as I speak to you, we are less than N90 billion. So, day by day we are reducing the debt profile,” he said.
“The state has become very solvent. In 2020, movement from one end of Imo State to another took an average of two to three hours,” he said.
On power supply, Uzodimma said Imo is ready for business, noting that the state now generates, transmits and distributes electricity.
“Talking of electricity, my people forgot about electricity because what they had here was bulk billing. No metering, the light was not available but as today I speak, we generate, we transmit, we distribute electricity, in the state capital, including this government house,” he said.
“This is homemade electricity and we will not disappoint. By the end of this year, we will continue to respond to the local government. Imo is ready for business.”
Earlier, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, had commended Uzodimma’s commitment to the renewed hope agenda.
His words: “I want to thank you also for your leadership of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF). We know where we were in terms of the number of governors about a year ago. Now, under your leadership, and of course the overall leadership of President Bola Tinubu, we’re looking at 32 APC governors and we’re still counting, because election is still a few months away,
“I think that it is a clear validation of the fact that we have a ruling party that is progressive in orientation. We have in our ranks, governors that are performing, but overall, we have a leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is clear about the direction he wants to take this country.”
