The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing worldwide in conjunction with Southern Nigeria Ethnic Youth leaders have threatened a nationwide showdown over the reported plots to oust Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma as Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum.
In a terse statement signed by its President, Ambassador Arthur Obiora, the Organization said that youth in the region are solidly behind Governor Uzodimma as the current credible political rallying point and will not hesitate to embark on a nationwide protest if those against Governor Uzodimma fail to backdown.
Stating that the attempt at Governor Uzodimma is a dangerous ethic card capable of subverting President Tinubu’s re-election efforts given the governor’s standing as a leading voice for President Tinubu particularly in the South-east, the group cautioned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may lose massively in the region in the 2027 presidential election if Governor Uzodimma is removed.
It also dismissed the allegations of missing N800 billion as unfounded and unsubstantiated fabrication which it described as “part of the scheme designed to rubbish the Tinubu administration and destabilize the re-election effort by attempting to cause confusion, division and bad blood among major stakeholders”.
The group said that those who want Governor Uzodimma out are inordinately ambitious politicians seeking to hijack and gain control of President Tinubu’s campaign structure and use such to exert pressure on the President for their elfish gains ahead of the elections”
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The statement reads; “We have been made aware of the fact that those attacking Governor Uzodimma seek to alienate him from the President so as to have undue access to hijack and gain control of President Tinubu’s campaign structure and use such to exert pressure on the President for their selfish gains ahead of the elections.
“In addition, we call on the APC family to note that Governor Uzodimma represents the voice of the South-East. If he is removed from the presidency, the APC family will lose the entire South-east to another party. This is a man that has given the APC family the entire structure to convert the people to the APC family. The APC will lose thousands of people to another party if he is removed
“Governor Hope Uzodinma is the leading voice of the South-east within the APC. Any attempt to undermine or sideline him sends a very troubling message that the interests and concerns of the South-east are not being considered within the Presidency. That is a signal no one in this administration should be comfortable sending, and it is one that could have lasting consequences for the unity and inclusiveness that this government has always stood for.
“This is because being the prominent political figure from the South-east with close engagement at the federal level, Governor Uzodimma has been instrumental in articulating the interests of the region within national policy discussions, particularly on issues of infrastructure, federal appointments, and resource allocation. At a time when the South-east holds four ministerial portfolios compared to nine in other regions, such representation is significant to the region’s sense of inclusion in national governance.
“What makes the attempt at Governor Uzodimma even more dangerous is the effect it has on the many people who believed in him and chose to join the APC and support the Tinubu campaign because of him. Attacking him means attacking every single person who stood by him and came to the APC because of him…
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“Beyond the personal attack on Governor Uzodinma, this allegation of missing N800 billion is also a direct strike at President Tinubu’s government. When people openly claim that N800 billion has gone missing without any solid proof, what they are really doing is trying to paint this administration as corrupt and lacking in transparency. It also embarrasses the party and brings the Governors Forum into disrepute.
“The reality is that this allegation is being pushed by a group of governors who are uncomfortable with Governor Uzodinma’s standing and influence. They feel threatened, and some are unhappy with how the leadership structure of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors was put together. In their thinking, they believe Uzodimma had a hand in shaping who got appointed and who did not even when that is far from the truth” the statement stated.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth therefore called on President Tinubu to wade in and save the situation before it degenerates, especially in the South-east. It also urged the APC family to rather appreciate the good work Governor Uzodimma is doing adding that anything to the contrary might not augur well with the party in the 2027 general elections
