From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The All Progressives Congress (APC) South East zone Organizing Secretary, Mr Dozie Ikedife (Jnr), has said that any attempt by other candidates to displace Governor Hope Uzodinma in the forthcoming governorship election in Imo State would be effort in futility.
He said he drew his conclusion from what he saw on ground the Governor had done and was still doing to develop all sectors in Imo State.
Mr Ikedife (Jnr) said Governor Uzodinma would have a landslide victory in the November 2023 election to prove cynics wrong who he said had failed to appreciate quality democracy dividends Imo people had continued to enjoy since the inception of his administration.
“If you critically evaluate what he has done, you will see that there will be no reason the people of Imo State would not give him a resounding victory to do his second tenure.
“Every election has its own bearing. The people of Imo are going to evaluate and scrutinize the candidates presented to them and all the political parties in the race. As far as APC is concerned, Uzodinma has shown that the people are better off with the party and Govenor Uzodimma at helm of affairs.
“Governor Uzodinma, no doubt, could be adjudged the best in service delivery in Imo State apart from late former Governor Sam Mbakwe of blessed memory. Uzodinma is living up to the people’s expectations.
“For instance, the road he had built from Owerri to Orlu with street lights is unprecedented. He has also built one from Owerri to Okigwe. This road, according to people from that side, was a track road before it was constructed to become an expressway. A friend of mine said he was very surprised when he passed through that road. There is another one from Mbaise to Umuahia and so many other express as well as access roads in the state.
” He is pulling the Federal Governement to Imo State which is now dredging Urasi River into sea. These projects are unprecedented. He is building ultra modern State teaching hospital, “he said.
He noted that Governor Uzodinma’s administration had empowered many youths in the State and ready to empower a lot more. He added that the Governor’s records would speak loudly for him, to give him an advantage over others.
He declared that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would continue to be a distant competitor to the APC Imo State while the Labour Party, others, according to him, would remain daydreamers.
“The dredging of the Urasi y into the sea is to enable the State evacuate its enormous gas deposit to earn a lot of money. Imo is not only oil but also gas producing State and a member of Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC). The Governor is utilizing the proceeds accrued to it to develop Imo. And there are so many pragmatic changes in the State now.
“I talked about roads because those are what people see and remember. People don’t see the energy the Governor puts into governance. People don’t see the amount of money he invests into education. People don’t see the resources he is investing into youths of the state, in empowering them and taking care of the pensioners. That’s why we talk about what can be easily remembered.
“The issue of security is a global one. The South East as a zone is involved. It’s not peculiar to Imo State. The people of the South East are suffering from insecurity which Governors of the zone under the leadership of Governor Uzodinma as Chairman of the Governors’ Forum are beginning to pay attention to.
“Just recently, Governor Uzodinma was able to host a security summit of the South East in Owerri, Imo State. That’s a bold step in the right direction. Tackling a security issue should be a consensus effort which the entire South East Governors are now strategizing to fix.
“Uzodinma is using trained security agents to tackle security challenges in Imo. You will agree with me that a lot of security breaches are being perpetrated by the young people and when they are apprehended, they begin to claim innocent because no signboard is on anybody’s face to say ‘I’m one of the perpetrators’.
“Uzodinma is doing all he could to ensure that Imo people enjoy maximum security. I’m one of those who believe that the Governor is doing well in Imo State and if I were given the opportunity to be a legitimate voter in Imo State, I would vote for Uzodinma to go for second tenure, “he said.
He appealed to the people of Imo State to give the Governor maximum support at all times, especially in the coming governorship election in the State.
On the current economic hardship in Nigeria under the APC governement at the center, Mr Ikedife (Jnr) admited that there is had economic condition in the country. But he said President Bola Tinubu inherited it and is just a little above one hundred days in office which he insisted should not be enough to fix the economy.
“President Tinubu’s administration is working hard to pull Nigeria out the current economic hardship. It’s on record that Tinubu has increased the minimum wage. That has added a lot of value. The Federal Governement is spending a lot of money to cushion the hardship in the land. I also know that our people are full of understanding. They know this administration has been in office in less than four months.
“As for Governor Uzodinma, he is a beautiful bride and he is going to have a resounding victory in Imo State, come November this year, “he concluded.