Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State on Saturday, August 12, 2023, announced the choice of Chinyere Ekomaru as his running mate for the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
Uzodimma’s announcement of a new deputy at a ceremony in Owerri, the Imo State capital, took many political observers by surprise just as it shocked his present Deputy, Mr. Placid Njoku known to have a cordial working relationship with him.
The Governor however said his latest decision of opting for Mrs Ekomaru as his new running mate does not in any way mean he has issues with his present deputy, Njoku, stressing that the move was as a result of ecumenical and political permutations.
The development has opened up new vistas in the political configuration of Imo State with regards to the top runners for the coveted governorship position.
Governor Uzodimma’s main challengers namely; Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Lincoln Ogunewe of the Action Alliance (AA), and Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party (LP), are all grounded politicians with large followers in the state.
While duo of Anyawu and Ogunewe are from Imo East, Athan hails from Imo North with Uzodimma from Imo West.
Aside from the zonal configuration that may work in determining how votes may swing, there are also issues of insecurity, arsons, and killings across the State.
Similarly, underdevelopment of the rural areas, poor workers’ welfare, and accusations of poor management of the State resources continue to dominate discourse ahead of the governorship poll taking place in November this year.
