Former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has described current Imo governor Hope Uzodimma as an opportunist, saying he lacks the political power to carry the Southeast.
Okorocha also noted that Uzodimma doesn’t beat his popularity among the Imo people, saying he (Uzodimma) only exists in the Aso Villa.
On Thursday, Okorocha had commended a Federal High Court judgment on the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Imo West as a victory for the judiciary, democracy and the Nigerian Constitution.
Following conflicting claims over the outcome of the APC primary ahead of the 2027 elections, Okorocha had sued the ruling APC and others, seeking a declaration that he was the authentic party candidate for Imo West Senatorial District, as opposed to Uzodimma, who was declared by the party.
Uzodimma was declared the winner and recognised by INEC, which maintained that the official results showed that the governor polled 230,464 votes, while Okorocha received 1,098 votes. However, a separate document subsequently circulated, purporting to show that Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes.
Okorocha challenged Uzodimma’s recognition at the Federal High Court in Abuja in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1854/2026, asking the court to determine whether INEC was right to recognise the incumbent governor as the party’s candidate.
The suit also raised questions about Uzodimma’s eligibility to contest the 2027 senatorial election while serving as governor, whose tenure is expected to end in January 2028.
During his interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, Okorocha stated that the incumbent governor can’t beat his record when he was in power.
Okorocha added that he would form a Rainbow Coalition, similar to that of the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, to seek support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Okorocha further noted that Uzodimma intends to hold two government positions, in which he would be in power as a governor till 2028, while also seeking a senatorial seat in 2027.
This, he said, is unlawful under the Constitution.
Former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, had advocated a four-year term for presidents.
Commenting on this, Okorocha noted that while he doesn’t encourage the Igbo people to abandon their own (Obi), he believes the four-year term suggestion is a “gamble.”
