The Ideato North and Ideato South Legislative Councils have taken an extraordinary swipe at former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, resolving to keep him at least five kilometres away from the newly constructed Umuchima-Ideato Bridge while accusing him of abandoning the area’s erosion crisis during his years in power.
The lawmakers adopted the resolution on Tuesday at a special joint plenary held on the newly constructed bridge, turning the project into the centrepiece of a broader political declaration ahead of the 2027 elections. They said the erosion at Umuchima had grown from a small ditch into a disaster threatening communities and properties, questioning why Okorocha, who served as governor for eight years and later represented the district in the Senate for four years, did not intervene. They resolved that he could, in the extreme case, be declared persona non grata within the five-kilometre radius.
But the councils did not stop at Okorocha. In a sweeping political endorsement, they adopted Governor Hope Uzodimma as Ideato Nation’s sole candidate for the Orlu Senatorial District in 2027, declaring the area a “No Go Area” for other senatorial aspirants. They also endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, tying their political support to what they described as Uzodimma’s intervention in Ideato, including the Umuchima Bridge, the Mgbee-Obiohia-Akokwa-Uga Road and the ongoing Okwelle-Dikenafai-Ntueke Road reconstruction.
The motion, sponsored by Hon. Donatus Ogubuike Ebere and backed by several legislators, heaped praise on Uzodimma, describing him as an “ebullient Governor,” “Lion of the South East,” “Political Colossus” and “Great Silent Achiever.” The lawmakers declared: “What Napoleon could not do, Uzodimma has done.” Their decision, taken on the bridge itself, effectively transformed the infrastructure project into a political symbol—and sent a blunt message ahead of 2027: Tinubu for President, Uzodimma for Orlu Senate, and no political credit for Okorocha at Umuchima.
