By Praise Chinecherem
The All Progressives Congress (APC) South East zone Organizing Secretary, Mr Dozie Ikedife (jnr) has described Governor Hope Uzodimma’s victory at the Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Imo State as a done deal.
He said the achievements of the Governor in the State were numerous enough to guarantee his second tenure to complete lots of projects he had set in motion.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, Ikedife appealed to both indigenes and non-indigenes resident in the State to come out enmass to vote for Uzodimma.
He said, “Candidates from the opposition political parties should prepare their congratulatory messages to Uzodimma and focus on another round of governorship election in the State after this time.
“Imo electorate had already made their choice to retun Governor Uzodimma and nothing would stand against their decision.
“Governor Uzodimmaโs administration had succeeded in restoring democracy in the State. His government was founded on democratic principles of open, transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance.
โMany Imo residents will readily recall that it is a fact that there was once upon a time, when the governance process of Imo State was not going the way the masses liked.
“Apart from the fact that Imo people didn’t know how their State was governed, there was a big wedge between the people and the government. The Governor has always showcased his report card to the people of the State.
โWhat informs his resolve to run an open, transparent, accountable and inclusive government as attested by the people of Imo State is accountability in action.
“So, the Governor can proudly declare at this point that with the support of the people, he has restored democracy to the State with the right application of government of the people, for the people and by the people.โ
On the recent beating of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ikedife absolved Governor Uzodimma of any wrongdoing, saying opposition was trying to use the incident to gain cheap political popularity by falsely accusing the Governor.
He wondered why the NLC would decide to shift from its core mandate to delve into politics with desperation.
He named the recovery of the K. O. Mbadiwe University for Imo people, revamping of all moribund industries in the State, paying off debts and construction of thousands of kilometers of roads across the State as among the achievements of the Governor.
He said that the Governorโs infrastructural projects cut across urban and rural areas within the three senatorial zones of the State with an urban renewal programme that has given Owerri the State capital a facelift.
Ikedife (jnr) who said he knew all these things because of his position as the zonal Organizing Secretary of the APC disclosed that the Governor had made giant strides through the provision of basic medical services in primary, secondary and tertiary health sectors.
He recalled the efforts the Governor made to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in the State including the rehabilitation of 305 health centres across the State to enable Imo people live healthier lives even as Governor Uzodimma appealed to the people of the State to get vaccinated due to the dangers of the Delta and Omicron variants of the virus.
He noted that such a caring and articulate Governor deserved his second tenure to enable him do more for his people.
โGovernor Hope Uzodimma is a grassroots politician who has been tested and trusted. He has done well to go for the second tenure. He is saleable for a second tenure , he is one hundred percent the peopleโs choice.
โHe won the election in the first tenure to be the Governor of Imo State and he has been performing well. He has attracted so many Federal Government projects to Imo State because he is in a national political party. He has done a lot of roads and is effectively tackling security challenges in Imo despite the kind of opposition he has. He is on top of the game in the area of security.
“Indeed, Governor Uzodimma is a man to beat in the Saturday governorship election in the State and he will win landslide. The security challenge in Imo State is peculiar but he is doing his best to contain it.
โThe man is an achiever judging from what he did as a Senator to now that he is a Governor. He is the best Governor Imo has ever had apart from late Sam Mbakwe. And Imo people have vowed to return him for a second tenure, โhe said.
