The Ideato North and Ideato South Legislative Councils have passed a controversial resolution barring former Imo State Governor and former Senator, Rochas Okorocha, from using the newly constructed Umuchima-Ideato Bridge and restricting him from coming within a five-kilometre radius of the facility.
The resolution was reached on Tuesday during a special joint plenary of the two legislative councils held on the newly constructed bridge at Umuchima.
The lawmakers also adopted Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, as the sole senatorial candidate of Ideato Nation for the Orlu Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 election and endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 presidential election.
The three-pronged resolution places the political future of Orlu Senatorial District, Governor Uzodimma’s candidacy and President Tinubu’s 2027 presidential bid at the centre of the councils’ political position.
In the resolution concerning Okorocha, the lawmakers said the former governor should be kept at least five kilometres away from the Umuchima Bridge and, in an extreme case, declared persona non grata within the designated radius.
They accused Okorocha of failing to intervene in the erosion crisis that affected Ideato communities during his eight years as governor and subsequent four years as senator.
According to the lawmakers, what started as a small erosion ditch at Umuchima eventually developed into a major disaster that threatened properties, livelihoods and communities in the area.
They questioned why Okorocha, who had significant political authority during his tenure as governor and senator, did not intervene to address the problem.
The lawmakers contrasted the situation with what they described as Governor Uzodimma’s intervention through the construction of the Umuchima Bridge and the Mgbee-Obiohia-Akokwa-Uga Road, as well as the ongoing reconstruction of the Okwelle-Dikenafai-Ntueke Road.
The decision to hold the special plenary on the newly constructed bridge was described as symbolic, with legislators from the two councils gathering at the project site to deliberate on the development of Ideato Nation, the erosion crisis and the political direction of the area ahead of the 2027 elections.
The councils subsequently resolved to adopt Governor Uzodimma as Ideato Nation’s sole candidate for the Orlu Senatorial seat.
The lawmakers declared that Ideato Nation would remain a “No Go Area” for other senatorial candidates, while criticising some aspirants from Ideato extraction whom they accused of being absent during their respective party primaries but later laying claim to party tickets.
The endorsement was presented as recognition of what the lawmakers described as Uzodimma’s visible intervention in the development challenges confronting the area.
The two legislative councils also endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC for the 2027 presidential election, thereby aligning their position at the national level with their support for Governor Uzodimma at the senatorial level.
In praising the governor, the lawmakers described him as an “Ebullient Governor,” “The Lion of the South East,” “Political Colossus” and “Great Silent Achiever.”
They further declared, “What Napoleon could not do, Uzodimma has done.”
The lawmakers said the intervention at Umuchima would remain an indelible mark in the history of Ideato Nation, particularly because of the scale of the erosion threat that had confronted communities in the area.
The motion was sponsored by Hon. Donatus Ogubuike Ebere, with Hon. Chibuike Eyiuche, Hon. Emeka Orioha, Rt. Hon. Cyprian Obiagwu, Hon. Onyedikachi Amagba, Rt. Hon. John Bosco Ikebundu, Hon. John Eze, Hon. Prince Anumege, Hon. Nze Benedict N. Nsofor, Rt. Hon. Ezomuegbu Obuochi, Hon. Ogbonnaya Ikejiaku, Hon. Ide Oyeje Festus, Hon. Offor John C. and Ohuche Ikemefula listed as co-sponsors.
The resolutions represent a significant political statement from the two Ideato legislative councils ahead of the 2027 elections, with the lawmakers backing President Tinubu for the presidency, adopting Governor Uzodimma for the Orlu Senatorial District and taking a hard-line position against former Governor Rochas Okorocha’s use of the newly constructed Umuchima-Ideato Bridge and other projects cited during the sitting.
Source: Ambrose Nwaogwugwu
