•Seeks mandate to implement Imo Charter of Equity

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State said on Wednesday that the governors of the five South East states have resolved to work for the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

He said they arrived at the decision based on verifiable facts of what President Tinubu's administration has done for the zone, against the propaganda certain politicians in the habit of using the South East as template for anti-government sentiment.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the Imo State Elders Council and those of the Traditional Rulers Council at the New EXCO Chambers Government House Owerri, Uzodimma who is the Chairman of South East Governors Forum said the Governors have no doubt that President Tinubu has done well for the Zone compared to what the South East got before now from previous administrations.

"The attempt by certain politicians to use the South East as a stage for anti-government sentiment is most despicable. We need to match propaganda with facts," Uzodimma, Chairman of Progressives Governors' Forum and Director General of Renewed Hope Ambassadors said.

He proceeded to reel out what the Tinubu administration has done for the Zone measured against what was on ground before now, and urged the people to be wary of the usual campaign rhetorics in the South East often woven around marginalisation.

Hear the Governor: "For the first time in Nigeria’s history, the South East has a Development Commission. President Tinubu signed the South East Development Commission Act into law on 24th July 2024. He signed the bill, inaugurated the board in February 2025, and the work began. No previous administration did this for the South East. Not one.

"On rail, the Federal Government inaugurated the Port Harcourt to Aba line in May 2024. Sixty-three kilometres of rehabilitated track now connect the South South directly to Abia State, carrying passengers five days a week.

"In November 2024, the section was formally handed over to the Nigerian Railway Corporation for full commercial operations. President Tinubu has since allocated $3 billion to reconstruct the entire Eastern Rail Corridor, which will run from Port Harcourt through the South East to Maiduguri.

"On roads, the Tinubu administration is executing Phases 2A and 2B of the access roads to the Second Niger Bridge, a dual carriageway running from the Umunya-Ogbunike axis through Ogidi and Nkpor-Umuoji into Asaba, with seven bridges along its length.

"The President flagged off Phase 2B himself in March 2025. The APC government built the Second Niger Bridge. This administration is completing the network of roads that makes it economically useful to every community around it.

"This month, President Tinubu approved two further road projects that Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, of the APGA, welcomed as 'a turning point for Igboland.' The first is the 108-kilometre Otuocha-Anam-Abaji Road, opening a direct corridor from Anambra into the North Central. The second is the 150-kilometre Oba-Nnewi-Uga-Ihube/Okigwe Junction Road, connecting Anambra and Imo States to the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, with linkages into Abia State.

"These roads, this rail line, and this Commission are facts. You can drive on the roads. You can board the train. You can walk into the SEDC offices. The evidence is physical. To stand before South Easterners and urge them to resent a President who has given their zone this much attention is to insult their intelligence.

"And these are the dividends particular to the South East. They sit on top of everything the Zone shares with every other Nigerian under this administration such as the determined effort to restore security, the student loans now putting thousands of young South Easterners through school, the higher allocations strengthening the finances of all five States in the Zone, and the fiscal reforms easing the cost of trade, among them, the cut in vehicle import duty from twenty per cent to ten on new vehicles and from fifteen to five on used ones. The South East eats from the national table like every other Nigerian. What has changed is that a place has now been set for it in particular."

Uzodimma said the Governors of the South East are aware that propaganda and smear campaign rhetorics are being deployed in the Zone to discredit the Tinubu administration but noted that they are in agreement that the President deserves the vote of the South Easterners in 2027 based on evidence/record of his performance.

His words: "When politicians use a South East platform to urge our people to remove the President, they misread the very people they are addressing. The Igbo are not confused. They do not trade on sentiment. They look at what has been done, and they judge on that.

"An administration that created the SEDC, inaugurated a rail line into Aba, allocated $3 billion to the Eastern Rail Corridor, commissioned access roads to the Second Niger Bridge, and approved two major highways touching Anambra, Imo and Abia has not ignored the South East. The people see this. Governors across the zone have said so publicly, including those outside our Party.

"Those who use South East platforms to pursue personal political ambitions will find that the audience they are counting on has moved on. The Igbo are too discerning and too results-driven to trade tangible infrastructure for political speeches. The South East will stand with the administration that delivered. And in 2027, they will say so at the polls."

However, Uzodimma used the opportunity to remind his audience that the Imo Charter of Equity must be taken seriously as a way to guarantee political stability, unity, fairness and prosperity in Imo State.

He appealed to the Imo State Elders Council and the State's Traditional Rulers Council to support the implementation of the Charter of Equity.

He reiterated that the Bill establiblising the Imo State Elders Council originated from him, and that the whole idea was to ensure that members work towards ensuring that power rotates among the three zones that make up Imo State.

Bearing in mind that the time to put the Charter of Equity to test has come, Uzodimma therefore urged the Imo State Elders Council and the Council of Monarchs to grant him the mandate to implement their recommendation with regard to who his successor will be and from which Zone in Imo State.

The Governor appealed to them to be clear-headed in making their resolution, and also taking into account, a likely successor who is God-fearing and ready to sustain the modest achievement of his administration.

The Governor said his administration inherited a deeply divided Imo State but had worked to restore order through inclusive governance and reconciliation.

"We cannot go back to the old order. We must protect equity, justice and fairness because they are the foundation of lasting peace and development," Uzodimma said.

He urged political leaders and stakeholders to reject divisive politics ahead of the 2027 election cycle, insisting that the larger interest of Imo people must take precedence over personal ambitions.

He called on the Elders Council to develop an implementation framework for the Charter of Equity, pledging his administration's full support.

The Governor also reaffirmed his loyalty to President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), arguing that alignment with the Federal Government had attracted critical infrastructure and development projects to the South-East.

Uzodimma further disclosed plans to reshuffle his cabinet to strengthen governance and prepare for the next political phase, while reiterating his commitment to youth empowerment through skills acquisition and job creation.

He thanked the elders and traditional rulers for their continued support, assuring them that his administration would not betray the confidence reposed in it.

The traditional ruler of Isiama Autonomous Community in Isiala Mbano, HRH Eze Oliver Ohanweh appealed to Governor Uzodimma to prioritise development in the Okigwe Zone before the end of his administration.

He acknowledged the Governor’s efforts but expressed concern over stalled projects, particularly the proposed University, urging him to accelerate their completion.

“We cannot let you go until you bless us,” the monarch said, adding that the people expect the Governor to use his remaining time in office to deliver lasting infrastructure and equitable development.

Chief George Egu, a member of the Elders Council commended Governor Uzodimma for improving infrastructure and healthcare, noting that road conditions had significantly improved since he assumed office.

Recalling years of neglect in the area, Egu said the Governor’s achievements had enhanced residents’ welfare. “The end of politics is the happiness of the people,” he said, while assuring compliance to the leadership of the Governor.

Others who spoke include the Chairman Imo State Council of Elders, HRH Eze Cletus Ilomuanya; the Chairman Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers Rulers, HRH Eze Emmanuel C. Okeke, Prince Lemmy Akakem, and Ambassador Kema Chikwe.

They all expressed confidence in Governor Uzodimma's pragmatic leadership, and readiness to ride in the same vehicle with him in the interest of Imo State, the South East, and Ndigbo, assuring their continued support to equity and fair play in Imo State as well as sustained leadership of President Tinubu.

The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, the Chief of Staff, Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie, and some members of the Imo State expanded executive Council attended the meeting.

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