The Only Problem We Have in South-East is Hope Uzodimma’ – Okorocha

By Arit Mbeh

Former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has launched a fresh attack on his successor, Governor Hope Uzodimma, describing him as the major problem confronting the South-East region.

Okorocha made the remarks during an interview on Arise News Television, where he accused Uzodimma of seeking to occupy multiple political positions simultaneously and questioned his electoral record.

“The only problem we have in the South-East is Hope Uzodimma,” the former governor declared.

He alleged that Uzodimma wanted to be everything at the same time, listing the chairmanship of the Progressive Governors Forum, a senatorial seat and the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign council among the positions he claimed the governor was seeking to control.

Okorocha further challenged Uzodimma’s electoral record, alleging that his political victories were secured through the manipulation of election results rather than the genuine votes of the electorate.

“Hope has never won an election in his life. Let him take you back. Factually speaking, I can run a real election,” Okorocha said.

The former governor’s comments came amid a fresh political confrontation between the two former allies following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja which nullified Uzodimma’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday, October 29, 2026, Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that evidence before the court established that Okorocha secured the highest number of votes in the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.

The court consequently ordered the APC to submit Okorocha’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the January 16, 2027 senatorial election and directed Uzodimma to stop presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the district.

Reacting to the judgment, Okorocha expressed satisfaction, describing it as evidence that the judiciary was not available to the highest bidder.

“I’m glad that the judiciary is no longer for sale. It’s not for sale at all, and it’s not for the highest bidder,” he said.

He further alleged that documents submitted in support of Uzodimma’s candidacy were forged, maintaining that the court had vindicated his position on the disputed primary.

Okorocha also revisited previous election disputes involving his successor, alleging that election results had been manipulated in Uzodimma’s favour. The allegations remain his personal claims and should not be taken as established judicial findings.

The latest confrontation represents another chapter in the prolonged political disagreement between the two politicians, who were once allies before their relationship deteriorated over the control and direction of Imo State politics.

Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019, while Uzodimma became governor in January 2020 and was re-elected in November 2023.

Meanwhile, the Imo State Government has rejected the Federal High Court judgment, describing it as a travesty of justice. The state’s Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, said the government would approach the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling.

The judgment and Okorocha’s latest remarks have further intensified the political dispute between the two prominent figures, with the APC’s final position on the Imo West senatorial ticket now subject to the outcome of the legal proceedings.