Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has formally picked up and been screened for the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senate ticket for Imo West Senatorial District, in a move that has intensified speculations that he may resign as governor before the expiration of his second tenure in January 2028.
MJConcept TV News reports that the move has also triggered fresh permutations within the APC over the 2027 battle for the office of Senate President, with political insiders alleging that Uzodimma’s Senate ambition is tied to a larger calculation to succeed Senator Godswill Akpabio as leader of the Red Chamber.
Sources familiar with the development claimed that Uzodimma’s camp is weighing the option of his resignation as Governor should he win the Senate election and subsequently emerge Senate President at the inauguration of the next National Assembly.
However, the same sources alleged that the Governor may abandon the Senate seat and return to complete his tenure in Imo State should the Senate Presidency project fail.
The unfolding calculations, according to party insiders, were among the factors that allegedly pushed loyalists of Senate President Akpabio to back the controversial but failed amendment of Senate rules aimed at preventing Senators-elect who were not members of the 10th Senate from contesting for principal offices in 2027.
The proposed amendment had generated controversy before eventually collapsing amid opposition from within the APC and other stakeholders who saw it as a move targeted at influential Governors and former Governors eyeing the Senate leadership.
Affirming his intention to contest for the Imo West Senate seat, Uzodimma in a statement posted on his official X handle on Sunday declared that he had answered the call of his people to seek representation at the National Assembly.
“My dear people of Imo West Senatorial District have once again called upon me to serve, and I have accepted this noble call with utmost humility, sincerity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to the collective advancement of our people,” the governor wrote.
He disclosed that he had presented himself before the APC leadership and the screening committee for the National Assembly primary election.
“During the engagement, I reaffirmed that the Senatorial seat I seek to occupy belongs first and foremost to our great party, while I remain only a loyal and dedicated candidate entrusted with the responsibility of projecting and advancing the ideals, vision, and aspirations of the APC to the very best of my ability,” he stated.
Uzodimma further said his aspiration was inspired by the desire to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration through “quality representation, effective legislation, enhanced development, and sustainable progress.”
Notably, however, Uzodimma made no reference in the statement to whether he intends to resign from office before the completion of his tenure if elected Senator.
The silence has continued to fuel debate within political circles in Imo State and beyond, especially amid growing speculation that the battle for the Senate Presidency in 2027 may trigger one of the fiercest power struggles within the APC since the return of democracy in 1999.