An elder statesman in Imo State, Ndaa Paddy Obinna, has stated pointedly that “Imo State has no more room for experimentation on who governs the state” after the tenure of the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma. This is even as he called on leaders of Owerri Zone to be circumspect in their actions and utterances ahead of the 2027 governorship election, positing that what Imo needs in 2027 is stability and continuity of Uzodimma’s legacies, and not any attempt to sacrifice the governor’s achievements on the altar of experimentation.
Ndaa Paddy Obinna spoke at his Emekuku country home in Owerri North Local Government Area while delivering his New Year’s message to Imo people. He urged the people to pray for a peaceful 2026 and for Governor Uzodimma to successfully finish his second tenure.
The octogenarian and art curator noted that Imo State will be 50 years old in 2026, stressing that within that period, mistakes have been made and lessons have also been learnt. “Right now, the time for experimentation on who governs Imo after Uzodimma’s tenure is over. Let us embrace continuity in governance. Uzodimma has laudable projects and policies on the ground, which must not be messed up because of another political experimentation. Another four years with somebody grounded in governance and administration, and who has methodically understudied Uzodimma, will solidify the governor’s legacies. Four years of continuity and consolidation is what Imo needs after Uzodimma’s tenure,” Obinna stated.
He implored Imo people to learn from past mistakes to avoid a reoccurrence, noting that experience is the best teacher in any human endeavour. He asserted that if not for Uzodimma’s intervention in 2019, nobody could have fathomed the parlous situation Imo would have been in presently. “We tend to forget too quickly. Imo was on the right track and on a positive socio-economic, political, and infrastructural trajectory prior to the 2011 governorship mishap that set Imo backwards before Uzodimma’s intervention. Are we going to repeat the same terrible mistake of 2011 again? For me, the best way to ensure stability and continuity of Uzodimma’s legacies is to revert to the political structure on the ground prior to 2011, which Uzodimma’s administration has tacitly vindicated was on the right track. If something happened wrongly, those who caused it should be courageous enough to say, ‘I am sorry; please take back what belongs to you,’ instead of grandstanding,” the elder statesman advised.
He asserted that for stability and continuity in Imo’s governance structure, “we need a man who has listening ears and is patient; a man who has perseverance, is calm and focused. Imo wants an unassuming, contented, and broad-minded leader who has a forgiving spirit — that man is Ikedi Ohakim,” Obinna opined.
He recalled that during Ohakim’s first tenure, he misunderstood and judged him harshly. “Initially, I was not an Ohakim admirer when he was in office. I misunderstood him, but on a closer appraisal, some of us have now come to realise that we judged him very wrongly. At this my age, and with a more analytical mind, and having observed him closely, I saw a man of uncommon calmness. If he was not calm, he would not have been relating with the same persons who sponsored an untruthful scandal about him in 2011, even from the pulpit, which everyone is now regretting. Despite the malicious allegations against him, he still relates very well with everybody. Ohakim is a unique and amazing character,” Obinna explained.
The octogenarian cautioned against zoning and clannish politics, pointing out that it may destroy the political equilibrium of the state if not properly managed. He advocated that attention should rather be focused on equity, fairness, and good conscience, so that even the seeming least zone, Okigwe, should be allowed to complete its truncated tenure.
He advised politicians to emulate the first civilian governor of old Imo State, Chief Sam Mbakwe, who placed Imo ahead of his personal interests while in office. The same, he said, can be said of Ohakim and the incumbent governor, Uzodimma.
Obinna urged the people of Owerri Zone, where he hails from, to do away with the “it is my turn” pedestrian mentality about the 2027 Imo governorship. He said they should realise that there should first be justice, equity, and fair play in sharing the common patrimony of Imo. “If by your omission or commission one is denied his fair right, we should allow him to have it. Imo belongs to all of us,” Obinna stressed.
