Any moment from now, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who last week joined the All Progressive Congress, APC, from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, will declare his intension to run for 2019 Imo Governorship race.
According to impeccable sources close to the Senator representing Orlu zone, he is still trying to gain a ground in the APC first, before making his ambition open.
The source said that whether Uzodinma will run for Imo Governorship in 2019 is not in doubt, but what is the issue now is when is the proper time to declare to Imo people.
With the latest development, one of the Imo APC camps headed by the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been thrown into further pressure, as already, the Governorship ambition of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume has been giving Okorocha and his men sleepless nights.
Now, with Uzodinma soon to join the fray, Okorocha has a big challenge in his hands on how to maneuver these situations for his hand-picked choice, and his son in-law, Uche Nwosu to collect the APC ticket.
However before now, it was assumed that Uzodinma and Okorocha had reached an agreement before the Senator dumped PDP for APC.
But that assumption was dashed with a Press Release from the stable of Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo, saying that Imo APC was not aware of Uzodinma’s entrance into the party.
Okorocha even warned Uzodinma that he must join the party through the proper route, and “not through the window”.
However, political analysts said that it was the APC Executive in the State and Uzodinma’s Ward in Omuma, in Oru East that have right to say who is a member of APC and not Okorocha.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction to Okorocha’s comment, Nze Elvis Agukwe, a supporter of Hope Uzodinma, replied Okorocha saying that the Governor from his statement has lost touch with APC at the grass root, for if not he would have realized that Hope Uzodinma had registered at the Ward level months ago.
Also, Chief Martins Agbaso joined the argument, saying that he allowed Okorocha to join APGA in 2010, only for him to hijack the party and removed him, and therefore asked Okorocha to stop wailing over how anybody joined APC today.
From all indications, it means that Okorocha has lost Hope Uzodinma as many had hoped he would team up with the Okorocha Group in Imo APC to fight other camps.
However, it is not yet clear if Uzodinma will join the Araraume Group, since the Isiala Mbano born politician wants to be Governor in 2019 too, just like Uzodinma, which means their ambitions have clashed and therefore cannot work together.
It is said that Uzodinma will now set up his own Group and join the war of supremacy against the Okorocha and Araraume political cells in Imo APC.
However, speculations are rife that Uzodinma may be joining the Governorship race to rattle Okorocha to leave the Orlu Senate ticket for him, since Okorocha had earlier indicated interest on the job, as well as asking for Uzodinma’s backing for Uche Nwosu’s Governorship ambition without leaving anyone for Uzodinma.
Trumpeta was told that for Uzodinma to quit his Governorship ambition, Okorocha would leave either the Senatorial, or Governorship slot for the Senator, or else, it will be all man for himself, which may in the end affect Okorocha one way or the other.
