By Dickson Okafor
Hon. Mark Uchendu, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Secretary to the Government of Imo State under former Governor Rochas Okorocha’s administration, has said the Okigwe Senatorial Zone will produce Governor Hope Uzodinma’s successor in line with Imo Charter of Equity.
He also spoke on how the zone met Governor Hope Uzodinma’s requirement by giving him the highest number of votes in his second term, having promised that any senatorial zone that would give him the highest number of votes in his second term, is the zone he will support to produce the next governor, just as he declared that the APC has done well for the South-East to expect a good outing in 2027.
Excerpts:
There are signs that you will be in the race for the governorship of Imo State?
That is not the main issue now, rather, we are all supporting Governor Hope Uzodinma for him to exit properly. So, right now there is no issue of who wants to be governor and who don’t want to be governor. Power comes from God and He gives it to whom He wants to give it to.
What is your appraisal of the APC government in Imo State under the watch of Governor Hope Uzodinma?
It is unfortunate that Governor Hope Uzodinma met a very hostile environment when he took over leadership in Imo State. The level of insecurity was high even though it is not as bad as it was in few years ago. So, to contain the security situation, requires both time and money. Right now, nobody will blame him or assess him wrongly since he has been able to cope with the challenges he met on ground. In terms of infrastructural development, there is a great improvement in road network as you can now travel from Owerri to Umuahia through Seven and Half without meeting any gallop or pothole with fully electrified streetlight leading to the end of that road.
And since the focus of Governor Hope Uzodinma is mainly to make Imo a global city, right now, if you are in Orlu and want to come to work in Owerri, you won’t be thinking of how you could get there on time. The same thing applies to a civil servant in Mbaise because before 20 minutes, you are in Owerri. The traffic situation in Owerri has improved greatly because of free inter-city movement. For instance, from Okigwe or from Orlu to Owerri there are modern highways and you will get to any parts of the state on time. So, in terms of road infrastructure Governor Hope Uzodinma has done excellently well.
Governor Hope Uzodinma during his campaign agreed to implement Imo State Charter of Equity, where is the power supposed to shift to after the tenure of Governor Uzodinma?
Let’s put it in proper perceptive, Governor Hope Uzodinma agrees with Imo Charter of Equity. But what he agreed was that between Okigwe and Owerri zones, any zone that would give him the highest number of votes in his second term, it is the zone he will support to produce his successor. What I know he has agreed to is that the governorship will not go back to Orlu zone. So, it is in the hand of Governor Hope Uzodinma and the people of Orlu to decide the zone that will produce next governor. But going by the agreement reached, it is Okigwe that will produce the next governor of Imo State even in line with Imo State Charter of Equity.
In the last governorship election results, Okigwe people posted one hundred and twenty something thousand votes and Owerri zone posted Ninty something thousand votes not even up to two hundred thousand votes. Therefore, if we go by the assessment and promise of Governor Hope Uzodinma, Okigwe zone met his requirement. Because if you say you want to take over from me, you must show commitment to my course. So, Owerri zone did not show enough commitment in spite of the fact that they have the highest number of registered voters. A place like Mbaitoli for instance, could only bring 5, 000 votes compared to Ihitte Uboma that gave him 11,000 votes. We gave 28 percent of our registered votes and Owerri gave 9 percent of their registered votes. Okigwe gave him the highest support and we didn’t mind because we said ‘okay, let us all work hard to cross this hurdle,’ and by the special grace of God, we crossed the hurdle. So, if I should be in Governor Hope Uzodinma’s shoes, I will give it to Okigwe.
In actual sense, Owerri zone has had two chances during the last and present political dispensations. First, on the platform of the National Republican Party (NRC) the governorship candidate was Dr. Evens Enwerem from Owerri zone. And in 2019 when the people of Okigwe were clamouring so much to produce the governor, Imo people agreed that Hon. Emeka Ihedioha from Owerri zone should be the governor. He won the election, but it was not Imo people that removed him, but the court. So, if you collect power and you could not hold it you don’t begin to blame Imo people.
What impact has APC as a ruling party made in South-East in terms of development that can earn it an inroad into the region in 2027?
When PDP was in power with all the support they got from South-East, not much can be seen that they did in the geopolitical zone in terms of development. It is the Nigerian factor, once it is Igboland, forget it, it is not a question of APC because even if another party takes over today, it will still be the same story. It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation in Nigeria. But for once since independence, the APC government have agreed to establish South-East Development Commission (SEDC) to address infrastructural imbalance in the region and the commission has been truly established by this government. Assuming it works the way it is planned to function, that would be the first time since after the Nigerian Civil War that our problem is being addressed by the Federal Government. So, to that extent, I think they have done well otherwise, they would have done it the way PDP used to do. The chances of APC in the South-East in 2027 general election is bright.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been accused of silencing opposition parties, thereby turning Nigeria into a one-party state, does this not portend danger for Nigeria’s democracy?
Democracy is government of the people by the people and for the people. Democracy is determined by the people and President Tinubu knows it is by the people and for the people, therefore, no one man can hijack it. Anybody who is in power will always protect himself and create a situation where the opposition is decimated. PDP was doing it until they had problem in 2015 and was dethroned by APC. So, whatever happened at the end of the day, it is how God wants it that is how it is going to be. However, the will of the people will determine how far we will go because it is the peoples will that sustains democracy in the whole world. The President might want it its own way, but if he tries and it doesn’t work, he is not going to kill everybody to make it work in his favour.
Many have expressed doubt on the ability of the Minster of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi to complete the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Highway within four years of this administration, what is your reaction?
Sen. Dave Umahi will not be the last minister in that project and even if he is the one that started the project and he could not complete it, another minister will complete it. This is government policy. What happens tomorrow if he is removed as Minister of Works? Will the project stop? Nobody should place blame on Umahi on an ongoing road construction or express doubt if he will be able to complete the project. He is an Engineer, a Civil Engineer who has been appointed as minister of Works for a very long time. Unlike previous governments that appoints a lawyer or people from other professions as minister of works. Umahi doesn’t need to learn on the job because he knows it from onset. He has set out what to do with the assignment given to him by government. And he knows what government wants him to do according to the directive in place. President Tinubu wants that project to be completed during his tenure and that is why he appointed a competent hand to replicate what he did in Ebonyi State as governor. Completion depends on availability of cash and it is a project of above N14.2trillion which is a huge sum of money. If he is reappointed after four years that will be wonderful, but I don’t see the budget ending in four years because it can outlive Umahi. Therefore, the important question Nigerians will ask is, when he was there as minister, what did he do? I assure you that Sen. Dave Umahi will complete the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway on time.
As one of the stakeholders in the South-East, what are your plans to ensure Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released through political means?
It is unfortunate that Nnamdi Kanu’s matter has lingered on till now. The late Chief Mbazulrike Amaechi, an elder statesman begged former President Muhammadu Buhari to release this young man and he vowed to ensure that Nnamdi Kanu is released before he died, but he died without Kanu being released. Also, the former governor of Anambra State, the late Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife also struggled to ensure Nnamdi Kanu is freed. Even late Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu went to the DSS Camp and from the information we gathered, to see Nnamdi Kanu, he trekked a long distance and before he came out he collapsed and was taken to the hospital and he could not make it, he died. We want to believe that President Tinubu will really look at the situation as a way of reducing the political temperature in the South-East by releasing Nnamdi Kanu. And I think Ohanaeze is planning to visit President Tinubu soon. Let’s see how it plays out.