2023 Poll: Ex-Gov Ihedioha Abandons Imo Guber Race

• Abscribes action to promote PDP’s consensus candidate
• Sen Anyanwu set to pick party’s ticket for Nov 11 poll

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has announced his formal withdrawal from the 2023 governorship race in Imo State.

The decision is coming after the former governor was already screened to participate in the PDP governorship primary election in the state scheduled for Saturday, April 15, 2023.

In a letter addressed to the Party’s National Chairman and dated March 27, Chief Ihedioha said upon attaining 58 years of age last week, he has reflected on many issues including the state of PDP in Imo State.

Explaining that he was withdrawing from the race in the overall interest of the Party’s unity, the ex-governor added that there has arisen an urgent need to align himself “with the request made by our State chapter to the National Working Committee (NWC) for a consensus choice of the candidate regarding the 2023 governorship primaries.

“In the interest of harmony and unity of the party, I have elected to make the personal sacrifice of withdrawing from further participation in the processes leading to the emergence of the gubernatorial candidate.”

According to him; “This decision was not taken lightly. My commitment to the service of our people has never been in doubt. And I am sure many of those who have, on their own, already started mobilizing for me in Imo state will be disappointed. I sincerely seek their understanding and that of associates, admirers and particularly the electorates, who have over the years aligned themselves and identified with my political aspirations.”

“I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have served my various constituencies both as a legislator and governor, I am also proud of the positive impact I made, particularly in the seven months I served as the governor of Imo state”, the letter further said.

Before the sudden announcement, both Chief Ihedioha and Senator Samuel Anyanwu had been screened and cleared to contest the Party’s primary election in what political watchers were already promoting as the battle for the soul of PDP in Imo state.

With this latest development, the path now seems clear for Senator Anyanwu to clinch the PDP ticket as the likely consensus candidate. Anyanwu, who lost the primary election to Ihedioha in 2018, would then have his hands full confronting the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Imo State gubernatorial election that has been scheduled by Independent Electoral Commission to take place on 11 November 2023.

Though Ihedioha has not dropped any hint on his next political moves or the likelihood of abandoning the opposition PDP, the decision to quit the gubernatorial race has left some of his supporters disappointed, even as the ardent ones have taken to their social media handles to bemoan the development.

Elected governor in the 2019 general election for seven months, Ihedioha’s tenure came to an abrupt end when the Supreme Court announced Governor Hope Uzodimma of the APC as the rightful winner, despite placing fourth in the polls according to INEC’s declaration.