Youth leader cautions APC govs over plot to remove Uzodimma as Chairman

By Anayo Okoli

ENUGU—Notable Igbo Youth leader, Ambassador Arthur Obiora, has called on the governors of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, to drop the idea of removing Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State as their chairman, urging them to continue to work as a united team ahead of the 2027 elections.

Obiora, a former“Ohanaeze Youth leader and currently Chairman of Southern Nigeria Ethnic Youth leaders, noted that Uzodimma has contributed immensely to the party in various ways, saying that whatever issues they have should be resolved amicably.

He described Uzodimma as a lover of the youths who have been carrying them along in rallying support for President Bola Tinubu and APC, warning that removing him as the chairman by the governors this time will not augur well for the party.

According to him, Governor Hope Uzodimma has been standing as a leading voice for President Tinubu and APC, particularly in the South East, warning that removing him will affect the fortune of the party in the region, as it may be termed an ethnic action.

“The attempt at removing Governor Uzodimma as the chairman is a dangerous ethic card capable of subverting President Tinubu’s re-election efforts, given that the governor has worked tirelessly towards the project”.

They dismissed the allegation of missing N800 billion as “unfounded and unsubstantiated fabrication”, saying it is “part of the scheme designed to rubbish the Tinubu administration and destabilize the re-election effort by attempting to cause confusion, division, and bad blood among major stakeholders”.

According to them, those who want Governor Uzodimma out “are inordinately ambitious politicians seeking to hijack and gain control of President Tinubu’s campaign structure and use such to exert pressure on the President for their selfish gains ahead of the elections.”

“We have been made aware of the fact that those attacking Governor Uzodimma seek to alienate him from the President so as to have undue access to hijack and gain control of President Tinubu’s campaign structure and use such to exert pressure on the President for their selfish gains ahead of the elections.

“In addition, we call on the APC family to note that Governor Uzodimma represents the voice of the South East. If he is removed from the Presidency, the APC family will lose the entire South East to another party. This is a man who has given the APC family the entire structure to convert the people to the APC family. The APC will lose thousands of people to another party if he is removed.

“Governor Hope Uzodinma is the leading voice of the Southeast within the APC. Any attempt to undermine or sideline him sends a very troubling message that the interests and concerns of the Southeast are not being considered within the Presidency. That is a signal no one in this administration should be comfortable sending, and it is one that could have lasting consequences for the unity and inclusiveness that this government has always stood for.

“This is because, being the prominent political figure from the Southeast with close engagement at the federal level, Governor Uzodimma has been instrumental in articulating the interests of the region within national policy discussions, particularly on issues of infrastructure, federal appointments, and resource allocation. At a time when the Southeast holds four ministerial portfolios compared to nine in other regions, such representation is significant to the region’s sense of inclusion in national governance.

“What makes the attempt at removing Governor Uzodimma even more dangerous is the effect it has on the many people who believed in him and chose to join the APC and support the Tinubu campaign because of him. Attacking him means attacking every single person who stood by him and came to the APC because of him.

“Beyond the personal attack on Governor Uzodinma, this allegation of missing N800 billion is also a direct strike at President Tinubu’s government. When people openly claim that N800 billion has gone missing without any solid proof, what they are really doing is trying to paint this administration as corrupt and lacking in transparency. It also embarrasses the party and brings the Governors’ Forum into disrepute.

“The reality is that this allegation is being pushed by a group of governors who are uncomfortable with Governor Uzodinma’s standing and influence. They feel threatened, and some are unhappy with how the leadership structure of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors was put together. In their thinking, they believe Uzodimma had a hand in shaping who got appointed and who did not, even when that is far from the truth”, they said.

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