Uzodimma joins Senate race, may resign as governor

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has declared his interest to contest for the Imo West Senatorial District seat in 2027.

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Mr Uzodimma, who is serving his second term as governor, announced this in a post on his X handle on Sunday.

“My dear people of Imo West Senatorial District have once again called upon me to serve, and I have accepted this noble call with utmost humility, sincerity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to the collective advancement of our people,” he said.

The governor said in furtherance of the call to serve, he has presented himself before the leadership of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Screening Committee for the National Assembly Primary Election.

“During the engagement, I reaffirmed that the Senatorial seat I seek to occupy belongs first and foremost to our great party, while I remain only a loyal and dedicated candidate entrusted with the responsibility of projecting and advancing the ideals, vision, and aspirations of the APC to the very best of my ability,” he said.

Mr Uzodimma earlier represented the district in the Senate from 6 June 2011 to 9 June 2019.

The governor said that his latest move to represent the district for the third time was “inspired by the desire to consolidate on the gains of the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Tinubu, through quality representation, effective legislation, enhanced development, and sustainable progress for our people and our nation.”

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Governorship seat vs Senate seat

Mr Uzodimma’s entry into the Senate race comes two years and four months after his inauguration for his second term of four years in office as governor.

He became governor of Imo State in 2020 after the Supreme Court nullified the election of the then-governor, Emeka Ihedioha, and declared Mr Uzodimma, who came fourth in the 2019 election, as the validly elected governor of the state.

His second term in office will elapse by January 2028. Meanwhile, the next Senate is expected to be inaugurated in June 2027.

Apart from Mr Uzodimma, a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, and a former senator, Osita Izunaso, are also seeking the APC ticket to represent the district in the Senate.

While Mr Okorocha represented the district from 2019 to 2023, Mr Izunaso is the incumbent senator for the district.

The trio are members of the APC.

Looming resignation

Multiple sources, in April, claimed that Mr Uzodimma had perfected plans to resign his position as governor to pursue his senatorial ambition.

The sources said the governor had struck a deal with his deputy, Chinyere Ekomaru, to willingly resign her position which will pave the way for the appointment of a new deputy governor.

According to the alleged plot, the new deputy governor would serve as a “placeholder governor” in the event that he resigns to contest for Senate.

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“The governor is actually fighting to be the Senate President. He’s banking on Tinubu to help secure the (Senate President) position,” one of the sources said.

But Mrs Ekomaru’s office, in early May, refuted claims that she had resigned from her position, describing them as false and misleading.

“This claim, as at this moment and the time it was trended, is entirely untrue and should be disregarded in its entirety,” the statement said, suggesting that the resignation could still happen in the nearest future.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Chinyere Ekomaru, is currently engaged in official duties as the number two citizen of this great state and continues to serve the state in her capacity as deputy governor,” the statement added.