Former Secretary to the Imo State Government, Uche Onyeagucha, has resigned from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a development that has triggered fresh political intrigue within the camp of former Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha.
Onyeagucha, a former member of the House of Representatives, announced his resignation in a letter dated April 30, 2026, citing concerns over the “direction, values, and current leadership trajectory” of the party.
His exit has stirred fresh political conversations across Imo State, particularly because he was widely believed to be positioning himself for the Owerri Zone senatorial seat on the ADC platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
Before his sudden resignation, one of his close associates, MacDonald Enwerem, had publicly disclosed on social media that Onyeagucha had emerged as the consensus candidate of the ADC for the Owerri Zone Senate seat.
Some political observers who spoke to this newspaper expressed surprise at Onyeagucha’s decision because of his long-standing relationship with Ihedioha, who only recently reaffirmed his commitment to the ADC despite growing political realignments among opposition figures nationwide.
Sources familiar with developments within the Ihedioha camp said subtle disagreements had existed even before Peter Obi eventually left the ADC for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
It was learnt that some loyalists of the former governor had strongly canvassed the position that Ihedioha should align firmly with Obi.
And even when Obi eventually moved to the NDC, the internal debate within the Ihedioha political structure resurfaced, with most of his allies arguing that being in the same party with Obi would make his (Ihedioha) bid to return to Government House, Owerri, in 2027 a reality because of the organic support Obi enjoys in the South-East.
Some of the loyalists were also said to have pointed to the emergence of Abia State governor, Alex Otti, in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party, arguing that Obi’s popularity and political movement significantly boosted Otti’s victory in Abia State and could produce a similar outcome for Ihedioha in Imo State if both men aligned politically in the NDC.
Aside from Onyeagucha, another prominent ADC figure in the state, broadcaster and radio personality, Chinonso Uba, popularly known as Nonsokwa, had also publicly declared support for Obi and announced his movement to the NDC.
Nonoskwa, however, made a dramatic reversal days later, announcing in a Facebook post that he had returned to the ADC, a development that further fueled speculation of confusion within Ihedioha’s camp.
Ihedioha is widely regarded as a close political ally of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is preparing his seventh presidential bid in 2027.
Explaining why he chose to remain in the ADC after Obi’s departure, Ihedioha said in a statement that he and other coalition leaders had “consciously and consistently worked to build a coalition of well-meaning Nigerians” within the party and saw no reason to abandon the platform.
The former governor stated that although he would have preferred Obi to pursue his presidential ambition within the ADC, he respected his decision to move to the NDC and, after broad consultations, found “no justification” to leave the ADC at this stage.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Onyeagucha may be heading to the NDC, although he has yet to publicly declare his next political destination.
His resignation has, however, intensified speculation of an emerging ideological split within the opposition in the South-East, especially among politicians caught between loyalty to Atiku and the growing popularity of Obi across the zone.
