Barely 24 hours after Governor Hope Uzodimma conferred Imo Star Honours on distinguished citizens as part of activities marking the state’s 50th anniversary, an aide to the governor has publicly attacked former governor Emeka Ihedioha.
The aide, Mr Ambrose Nwogwugwu, Special Assistant to the Governor on New and Creative Media, lashed out at Mr Ihedioha in a Facebook post on Sunday morning, questioning the former governor’s disposition to political tolerance and reconciliation.
Mr Ihedioha, who governed Imo State briefly between May 2019 and January 2020, was among past leaders honoured by the Uzodimma administration during the golden jubilee celebration held in Owerri.
The event, described by the state government as inclusive and reconciliatory, saw honours conferred on all former governors of Imo State, both civilian and military administrators, dead and alive.
However, reacting to Mr Ihedioha’s presence at the ceremony, Mr Nwogugwu suggested that the former governor would not have reciprocated such a gesture if the roles were reversed.
In the Facebook post, Mr Nwogugwu wrote verbatim:
“While my senior brother Ihedioha was busy opening his 32 updandam yesterday,
I will like us to flip the script and reverse the roles:
Would Ihedioha had invited an Uzodimma?
Hell NO!
Not in this Christ’s world!
What happened yesterday was Nkari,
…..and demonstration of large heartedness of the #PeoplesGovernor that we have written about all along,
But phools have gone to town consoling themselves with stupid political connotations.
When you are you are big!
Ihedioha needs to learn a lesson in forgiveness and political tolerance.
The #PeoplesGovernor Hope Uzodimma personally wrote to all the former governors of the; both both legal and illegal governors, so long you have one time or the other had stint at the seat of governance of the state.
For Ihedioha to come and be shining his 32 yesterday does not stripe him of the fact that he remains an illegal former governor who stole the mandate of the people and fraudulently occupied the seat of power of the state, just like the illegitimate military juntas.
Kposhi kposhi.”
Mr Ihedioha was elected governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019 but was removed from office by the Supreme Court in January 2020, which declared Mr Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the valid winner of the election.
Following the judgment, Mr Ihedioha filed an application seeking a review of the apex court’s decision, but the request was rejected by the apex court.
Since his removal from office, Mr Ihedioha has largely kept his distance from the Uzodimma administration and its political activities in the state.
He later defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and is widely regarded as one of the leading opposition figures in Imo State.
Political observers believe he is positioning himself to challenge whoever Governor Uzodimma anoints as successor in the November 2027 governorship election.
The Imo @50 Star Honours ceremony, held in Owerri, attracted several high-profile dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, serving and former governors, traditional rulers and other eminent Nigerians.
Also honoured at the event was another former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, who was present to receive his award and is similarly rumoured to be nursing ambitions of a return to Douglas House in 2027.
The public attack on Mr Ihedioha by the governor’s aide has generated debate among political analysts, many of whom questioned the timing of the comments, coming immediately after what was widely seen as a unifying state event.
Although unconfirmed, sources close to the political scene alleged that members of Mr Ihedioha’s media team had taken to social media after the ceremony to frame his attendance as a possible signal of a political comeback in 2027, a development believed to have triggered the sharp response from Mr Nwogugwu.
