The President of the Owerri Zone Awareness Coalition (OZAC), Emmanuel Okwu, has claimed that Governor Hope Uzodimma has already concluded plans on who will succeed him as governor of Imo State, saying the identity of the preferred candidate would become public within a short time.
Mr Okwu, who spoke to INNONEWS from his London base, said the succession arrangement within the All Progressives Congress (APC) had already been settled, insisting that the eventual candidate would be widely accepted across the state.
He declined to reveal the identity of the individual but maintained that the governor’s choice would prove difficult for any opposition governorship candidate to defeat in the 2027 election.
“The succession plan has been concluded. The person is known to those who need to know. He is acceptable, sellable and marketable,” Mr Okwu told INNONEWS during the conversation.
When pressed to disclose whether the individual comes from Owerri zone, Mr Okwu declined to provide specific details, saying only that the process had advanced beyond speculation and that events would soon unfold publicly.
Below is part of the conversation between INNONEWS and Mr Okwu:
Okwu: “Hello, INNONEWS.”
INNONEWS: “I’m fine and okay.”
Okwu: “I have something big to reveal to you.”
INNONEWS: “Go ahead. Ours is to inform the public accurately.”
Okwu: “We have knowledge of who will be the governor’s successor from the APC.”
INNONEWS: “Really? Who is he and which zone is he from?”
Okwu: “He would be an acceptable candidate, someone we all know and whom the opposition will find it difficult to defeat.”
INNONEWS: “How sure are you, Mr Okwu? Did His Excellency tell you who the person is and how certain is the information?”
Okwu: “I know what I’m telling you. It’s a fact.”
Mr Okwu said the identity of the candidate would likely emerge by or before June 2027, adding that political developments in the state would make the succession arrangement clearer in the coming months.
Political observers have continued to speculate over Governor Hope Uzodimma’s succession plans amid expectations that he may seek to complete his political transition to the National Assembly.
Governor Uzodimma had earlier emerged as the APC candidate for Imo West Senatorial District and is expected to contest the National Assembly election scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Should he win the election and proceed to the Senate, he would be sworn in around June 2027. Under such a scenario, he may vacate office before the expiration of his tenure.
The governor would also be expected to nominate a new deputy governor subject to confirmation by the Imo State House of Assembly. Should he leave office before the end of his tenure, the deputy governor would assume office in an acting capacity.
Many political actors in the state believe that the new deputy governor, who could become acting governor, may eventually emerge as the APC governorship candidate for the November 2027 off-cycle governorship election. If victorious, such a candidate would become Governor Uzodimma’s successor.
Neither the Imo State Government nor the APC in Imo State has officially commented on Mr Okwu’s claims, which remain speculative and have continued to fuel debate over the state’s political succession ahead of 2027.
