The removal of Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha by the Supreme Court, on the 14th of January 2020, and installing Senator Hope Uzodinma in his stead, witnessed the defection of many of his former loyalists, to the Hope Uzodinma camp.
First to move were the State Assembly members, who moved in their drove to the Hope Uzodinma Les APC. Many of them had earlier defected from other parties to the PDP, when Ihedioha was in office.
One by one, several former associates of the former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, crept away from the Mbutu, Aboh Mbaise politician, to the Omuma born former Senator.
Many started singing new songs against Ihedioha, to curry support from Uzodinma.
With the moves by Philip Umeadi SAN, and the even more recent moves by Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, to unseat Uzodinma, uncertainty has hit some of those they cross carpeted to Uzodinma’s camp.
In the State Assembly, there’s expected to be a fresh set of cross carpeting, putting Imo as the state with the most politically mobile politicians, or better tagged “political prostitutes”.
These class of politicians, Ihedioha may be forced to work with them, as he still needs the state assembly he can at an extent, control.
To keep his seat, the Speaker may also have to jump back to the PDP, as he had started his journey from APGA to PDP then to APC when Uzodinma came into power.
However, those who would lose out the most, would be former appointees, and associates, who jumped ship when they thought Ihedioha had no chance to return. Those class of politicians are those tagged “food is ready” politicians, and their tendencies had been revealed to Ihedioha by his removal, and if he should return, there is most likely no chance of him working with those people again.
There is heightened apprehension in Imo State, since Uche Nwosu joined the case, in a bid to sack Uzodinma. The case has been delayed for quite a while, with Imolites suspecting that efforts, even monetarily, may have been made to ensure the Supreme Court does not hear the Umeadi suit. However, with Okorocha recently boosting that he was richer than the state, Imolites wonder if he’s going to bring out some of that money he claims to have, to ensure there are no further delays to Hope Uzodinma facing his demons once and for all.
