‘We Don’t Have Any Issue,’ Uzodinma Denies Rift With Okorocha

A file photo of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has denied having any disagreement with his predecessor, Senator Rochas Okorocha.

He stated this on Tuesday during an interview with reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Governor Uzodinma was responding to questions from State House correspondents on the impasse between him and the former governor.

He insisted that he has no rift with the former governor, stressing that Senator Okorocha only needed to recognise that he is now the governor of the state.

“On the issue of Okorocha, the former governor, he is my very good brother in who I am well pleased.

“I have no issue with him; the only thing is that he is now the former governor and I am the current governor and once we understand that, we don’t have any issue,” Governor Uzodinma said.

The governor spoke with reporters after he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

He explained that he was at the Villa to seek the intervention of the President in tackling the problem of erosion in Imo State.

Commenting on the choice of zoning of presidency ahead of the 2023 general elections, Governor Uzodinma believes it should be done on party basis and not tribal basis.

His opinion aligned with the views of a former governor of Abia State and Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzo Kalu, who visited former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, in Niger State.

Senator Kalu was criticised for describing the office of the president as an open basket for intending contestants and saying the idea of zoning was never constitutional.

This comes against the backdrop of clamours by the people of the South-East that the 2023 presidency should be zones to the region.