By Uche Obiozor
The tranquility that prevailed during the recently concluded congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo state once again underscores the strategic imperative of consensus building, which Governor Hope Uzodimma has deployed quite effectively in the six years plus he has presided over the affairs of the state. A peep into what obtained in some states, including those in the Southeast, during the congresses would clearly show that what was witnessed in Imo state is not something that should be taken for granted; but one that requires further mention so that lessons therein can be properly comprehended not only in the context of the forthcoming general elections but for the strategic repositioning of party politics in our country.
From Lagos to Benue, from Akwa Ibom to Ondo, from Bayelsa to Ondo,to Kaduna, Delta, Rivers, etc mixed reactions trailed both the conduct and outcome of the ward, local government and state congresses following grievances by party faithful. There were reports of parallel congresses in some states, allegations of imposition of candidates in others; as well as conflicts between old and new members in some states especially where the governors recently defected to the party. There were even reports of alleged loss of at least one life in one of the states in the Southwest, to say nothing of the involvement of the judiciary with orders and counter orders flying around.
Imo was an exception not because those residing in it are infalliable but because it was yet another opportunity for the APC faithful in the state to demonstrate their unalloyed support for the leadership of Governor Uzodimma both within the party and the state itself. A day or two to the ward and local government congresses, the governor had, in his characteristic inclination towards robust engagements with the people, convened a meeting of stakeholders of the party at the seat of government in Owerri. There, the governor told the stakeholders to return to their respective wards and local government areas and galvanize party faithful for hitch-free congresses.
He emphasized to need for the consensus option but quickly added that for any aspirant to emerge, the consensus must be total, otherwise aspirants should line up for voting to be conducted.
For a governor whom the people had, for over six years now, become used to his calm but firm mien, that afternoon was not different and the stakeholders rose in unison to, as usual, concur with their governor. When reports on the congresses started trickling in, it was unmistaken that the APC in Imo state was still one family, completely intact under the able leadership of His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodimma.
From Ngor Okpala to Oguta; from Ohaji-Egbema to Ihitte-Uboma; from Mbaitoli to Oru East, all over, it was total tranquility to the extent that the job of the committee dispatched from Abuja to oversee the exercise was almost redundant.There were no dissent voices anywhere in the over three hundred electoral wards and twenty-seven local government areas.
The feat was completed on Tuesday March 3, 2026 when the state congresses were held at the famous Ndubuisi Kanu Square, Owerri. The same tranquility, the same orderliness. Save the incessant chant of Aaa Pee Cee!!, the atmosphere was so serene that you would hardly believe that it was a political gathering that had the potential of making or marring the future of the party in the state. Last week, a comprehensive list of those who emerged as party executives at the ward, local government and state levels was published and till this moment, there have been no reports of protests in any part of the state.
On Wednesday, March 25 2026, delegates from the state headed to Enugu where the zonal congresses were held. At the Presidential Hotel, venue of the event, it was also total equanimity and orderliness. Of course, in a zone where Governor Uzodimma goes with the nickname of “Governor General”, nobody would expect anything less. In a sense, therefore, the goodwill and intra party harmony for which Imo state APC is known became infectious in Enugu. And just like what happened back home a couple of weeks earlier, the Enugu outing has been described as one of the most rancor-free political events to ever take place in recent times throughout the country. Meanwhile, there are reports that some party men in some states have headed to the court to challenge the leadership over same grievances.
Returning to Imo, delegates to the national convention slated for March 27 and 28, 2026, had by mid-day Thursday, March 26, 2026 started arriving Abuja for the grand finale. All eyes will be on them for one major reason: The reputation the state has garnered as an epitome of consensus building under the leadership of Governor Uzodimma who is both the chairman of the APC Governors Forum and the Director-General of the Renewed Hope Agenda, the latter being the fulcrum of the dynamics to return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a well-deserved second term in office.
Imolites are generally known for their calm demeanor and steadfast loyalty to leaders who are showing them the right way as both President Tinubu and their governor are doing. Little wonder that today, hardly can anybody point at a politician in Imo state who is not APC. Ditto for their followers as ably demonstrated at the last governorship election where Onwa, as the good people of Imo state fondly call their governor, won in all the twenty seven local government areas, after garnering a total of 504,308 votes to beat his closest rival who got 71,503 votes.
Nobody can, of course, argue that there is 100 per cent support for President Tinubu in Imo state or indeed the Southeast but it is not for nothing that a majority of the people at both strata have affinity for the APC. The reason is simply. Governor Uzodimma has performed quite creditable well, to the extent that those who hitherto (at the beginning of his administration) vowed to make the state “ungovernable” for him, suddenly made a u-turn and are today at the forefront of propagating the ideals of the 3R (Shared Prosperity) mantra of the administration. Apart from excelling in the development of physical infrastructure, Governor Uzodimma has revived organs of government that were moribund before he came.
Perhaps more importantly, he pulled the state out of the spate of insecurity that was largely contrived by so-called opposition elements – who are now repentant as earlier narrated. The story is too well known to be repeated here but what is worth pointing out, at the moment, is that today in Imo, there is a level of tranquility that was perhaps never witnessed even before the era of the murderous non-state actors.
It is this near-feat that has completely endeared the people to their governor, especially as Senator Uzodimma went about the entire thing with an uncommon level-headedness for which he was known before ascendance to power.
While that was going on, the entire country was watching. How did he do it, was the question on the lips of many? Needless to say, it is not for nothing also that not only his party, the APC, but also much of the nation’s political establishment, see him as one whose experience as governor would be invaluable as Nigeria grapples with its numerous challenges; little wonder that Governor Uzodimma is saddled with responsibilities that many see as pivotal to the collective quest by the APC to continue to give Nigerians a purposeful leadership. This is the message the Imo delegate should carry in their minds as they go into the convention venue today and this is wishing them a fruitful outing.
