Sen Rochas Okorocha, the former governor of Imo State, has called the current Imo governor, Hope Uzodimma, an opportunist, stating that he lacks the political strength to carry the Southeast.
Okorocha further stated that Uzodimma does not surpass his popularity among the people of Imo, claiming that Uzodimma only has a presence in the Aso Villa.
On Thursday, Okorocha praised a Federal High Court ruling on the All Progressives Congress senatorial primary in Imo West, calling it a victory for the judiciary, democracy, and the Nigerian Constitution.
After conflicting claims emerged over the outcome of the APC primary ahead of the 2027 elections, Okorocha sued the ruling APC and others, seeking a declaration that he was the genuine party candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District, rather than Uzodimma, whom the party had declared.
INEC declared Uzodimma the winner and recognized him, maintaining that the official results showed the governor polled 230,464 votes, while Okorocha received 1,098 votes.
However, a separate document later circulated that purported to show Okorocha won the primary with 150,780 votes.
Okorocha contested 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 recognize 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.
In his interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today program on Thursday, Okorocha said the incumbent governor cannot match his record while he was in power.
“I will not tell you anything here. But go and ask about my record. So what is important to me now is how Asiwaju will be re-elected in Imo State.
“With my name coming on the ballot paper now, Asiwaju can be sure that his victory is guaranteed in Imo State
“Hope Uzodimma cannot be worked with by anybody because he is a chameleon. He’s an opportunist. What preoccupies his mind now is not even the governance,” he said.
Okorocha also stated 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.
“And this is why I commend people like Wike when they talk about Rainbow Coalition. You know what Rainbow Coalition means? Let’s go beyond politics and talk about governance,” Okorocha said, saying if he sees someone “who can do well, even though he’s not from my party, let’s give him support. That’s what is called governance.
“As I live here now, we’re going to start Rainbow Coalition. We’re going to bring PDP, all of them, to support Tinubu to win, and some people will step down from their positions to just make sure we achieve one common goal.
“Hope cannot carry Imo; cannot carry Southeast. It’s in Abuja, in the villa here that Hope exists. He doesn’t exist down here, and I challenge him. Let’s move out and call the people and see what will happen.”
The former Imo governor 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 stated, is unlawful under the Constitution.
“The point we are making is that Hope Uzodinma has a tenure of eight years to elapse in January 2028. Hope is contesting for Senate, which starts in May 2027. What that means is that Hope Uzodinma is holding a paid job and seeking another paid job. So the question in the mind of everybody is, if Hope Uzodinma now is a governor under Section 183 of the Constitution, which says that you shall not hold two paid jobs, then for you to hold a paid job and seek another paid job means that you either don’t want the one you are holding and want to seek another one.
“The question is, the Constitution never insists on what situation will ever arise that a normal person holding a position of governor will abandon it to go for the Senate.
Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State and the 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, had called for presidents to serve a four-year term.
Reacting to this, Okorocha said that although he does not urge the Igbo people to turn their backs on their own (Obi), he considers the four-year term proposal a “gamble.”
“It’s not abandonment; it is to clearly explain to the people the implications of what we’re doing. We’re gambling with four years. We’re gambling with four. It’s a gamble. How will that help us if we lose the four years now, and in the same circumstances we’re not getting the support of the Southwest or the Northwest when it is our turn to seek the presidential election?” he queried.
“Obi is a fantastic gentleman, clear in his head, and cool; there’s nothing wrong with him, but we can’t gamble. We can’t do four years of gambling this time. I was for that four years ago, and I strongly believe that it should be. Once it’s gone and the plane has taken off, please allow it to land because it will be a reference point for years to come.
“So we are supporting Tinubu not on an emotional and sentimental basis, but for a strategic alliance, so the next time we could say we supported him, we need support for this time,” he added.
“But the courts made a very clear statement on that, and it’s not lawful for him to do that because, if he wins it, he’s going to be holding two paid jobs. So what that means, in really practical terms, if we’re talking about common sense, I’m not talking about law now, is that Hope Uzodimma is deemed to have resigned as governor for seeking another job because if he becomes a senator, definitely he must resign as a governor.
“So that’s the situation we find ourselves in; I’ll build that point, but that is not the point that took us to court that much. What took us to court was the character of the papers presented by both parties,” Okorocha said.
