100 PER CENT MANDATE: Inside Imo's Ambitious Battle to Deliver Nigeria's President

By Vivian Iwu 

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The Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre in Owerri was not just a venue on that Saturday morning. It was a cathedral of political ambition, a stage where the future of Nigerian democracy was being scripted in bold, unapologetic strokes.

Governor Hope Uzodimma stood before the faithful, his voice rising above the hum of anticipation, and delivered a message that sent shockwaves through the political establishment: "APC is Imo State, and Imo State is APC."

This was not mere political rhetoric. It was a declaration of war—a war for the soul of the Southeast, a war for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and a war to prove that the Renewed Hope Agenda was not just a campaign slogan but a transformative national project.

And in his hands, the governor held the keys to 30 campaign buses—the chariots that would carry this message to every corner of Imo's 27 local government areas.

The Audacity of 100 Per Cent

"We are going for 100 per cent," Uzodimma declared, setting a target that defies political convention and challenges the very logic of electoral competition.

In a democracy where 50 per cent plus one is the threshold for victory, demanding a clean sweep is either supreme confidence or supreme audacity. Perhaps it is both.

The governor's calculation is rooted in a belief that the "Renewed Hope Agenda" of President Tinubu, combined with his own governance record, has created a political ecosystem in Imo State where opposition has become not just unnecessary but unthinkable.

"99.9 per cent will be unacceptable," he told the assembled party faithful, his voice carrying both the weight of incumbency and the urgency of a man who understands that in Nigeria's political chessboard, 2027 is already here.

The South-East Zonal Vice Chairman, Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, drove the point home with characteristic bluntness, warning party officials that "the more our governor has given to Imo APC, we cannot tolerate any excuses."

The Buses That Carry More Than People

The 30 campaign buses—27 for local government chairmen, three for zonal chairmen, and one each for the state women and youth leaders—are more than vehicles. They are chariots of political warfare, mobile billboards carrying the APC message to the farthest reaches of Imo's 27 local government areas.

But there is also a warning in the gesture. Uzodimma was explicit: the vehicles must be used strictly for party activities. This is not mere charity; it is investment with expectations.

The fully branded buses, APC State Chairman Austin Onyedebelu noted, "carry the message to the people and let them know that we are very serious."

The governor's message was clear: the party has delivered the tools; the party officials must deliver the results.

"I cannot deliver the President without you," Uzodimma told the party officials, a reminder that political victories are built from the ground up, not from the top down.

Perhaps the most strategic element of Uzodimma's campaign is his positioning of healthcare as the crown jewel of his administration's achievements—and the foundation of his campaign for Tinubu's re-election.

"Our reforms as a State Government and the Renewed Hope agenda have delivered tangible achievements, particularly in healthcare, providing us with a strong basis to campaign for President Tinubu," he declared.

The evidence, according to the governor, is visible.

In May 2025, the 100-bed Senator Oluremi Tinubu Mother and Child Centre was commissioned at Awo-Omamma General Hospital, a facility built and equipped by the federal government under the Sustainable Development Goals initiative of President Tinubu's administration.

The hospital, named after the First Lady, represents a collaboration between the federal and state governments that Uzodimma is eager to showcase.

"This facility will transform maternal and child healthcare in Imo State, bringing hope and quality medical services to the people," said the First Lady of Imo State, Barr. Chioma Uzodimma, who serves as Secretary of the Renewed Hope Initiative.

But it is not just the new facility that forms the basis of the governor's confidence. Uzodimma's administration has introduced mobile rural clinics, built three new general hospitals, revived the Imo State University Teaching Hospital in Orlu, and restored the accreditation of its medical school.

The ongoing construction of a world-class Heart Transplant Centre at the Imo State University Teaching Hospital further cements this narrative of healthcare transformation.

For Uzodimma, these are not just projects—they are arguments. Arguments that the federal and state governments are working in harmony. Arguments that the Renewed Hope Agenda is delivering tangible benefits. Arguments that President Tinubu deserves a second term.

The Presidency itself has taken notice of Uzodimma's infrastructure drive, commending what it described as "the scale and quality of infrastructure development across the state."

The Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre itself is undergoing expansion into a facility with over 2,000 seats. A state government-backed five-star hotel project with more than 110 rooms is also underway.

These projects serve a dual purpose: they are tangible achievements to campaign on, and they are physical manifestations of the "Renewed Hope" narrative that the APC is building for 2027.

The message is clear and compelling: this is what happens when a state government and the federal government are aligned in purpose and vision.

Governor Hope Uzodimma is no stranger to political battles. His 2026 victory in the APC primary for Imo West Senatorial District, where he defeated former governor Rochas Okorocha by a margin of 230,464 votes to 1,098, demonstrated his command of the party machinery.

His appointment as Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Director General of the Renewed Hope Agenda Ambassadors further consolidates his position as a key player in the national political equation.

But it is his role as Chairman of the APC National Campaign Council for the Osun State governorship election that reveals something deeper about his political philosophy.

"We have only one mission—to win the election. Everything can come after the elections," he told the council.

This is the Uzodimma doctrine: victory is everything; everything else is secondary.

The governor's claim that "even our opponents will vote for President Tinubu" raises an intriguing question: in a democracy, is complete political dominance achievable or even desirable?

The opposition narrative suggests a system where the electoral playing field is tilted, where the machinery of state is deployed in service of political ambition.

The Nigerian Democratic Congress has accused INEC of systematically removing its nominated candidates and replacing them with strange names unknown to the party. The NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Kleopas Zawohe, described this as a "deliberate plot to sabotage the party ahead of the general elections and cause dissatisfaction among its millions of supporters."

But Uzodimma's response to such concerns is to point to achievements: healthcare, infrastructure, governance. "Residents had seen the impact of his administration," he insists.

The question for Imo voters is not whether the government has delivered—the evidence is visible in new hospitals and improved roads. The question is whether this delivery justifies the dismantling of democratic competition.

The governor acknowledged the challenges of governance, particularly the frustration among youth. "The community leadership might find it increasingly difficult to contain the growing frustration among the youth," he warned in a separate context, but the sentiment echoes across his broader political message.

The youth are both the opportunity and the challenge. They are the demographic that can deliver the 100 per cent victory the governor seeks, but they are also the demographic most likely to question the narrative of progress if they do not feel its benefits.

This is why the governor's emphasis on healthcare—particularly maternal and child healthcare—is strategically significant. It speaks to a concern that resonates across generations and demonstrates a government that understands the basic needs of its people.

Uzodimma's push for 100 per cent victory in Imo is not occurring in isolation. Nationally, the APC is preparing for a 2027 election that will test the durability of the "Renewed Hope" narrative.

THE PARTY IS FACING CHALLENGES: the removal of fuel subsidy, while economically significant, has triggered an increase in the prices of goods and services. Security challenges persist in parts of the country. The NDC is accusing INEC of sabotage.

But the APC leadership remains confident. The party's National Chairman has warned that the proposal to return to the old fuel subsidy regime would reverse economic gains, threaten the payment of the current minimum wage, and lead to the cancellation of education grants.

The party is framing the 2027 election as a choice between progress and regression, between the Renewed Hope Agenda and the failed policies of the past.

As the 30 campaign buses roll out across Imo State, they carry more than party officials and branded messages. They carry the hopes of a political machine that sees 2027 as a moment of destiny. They carry the weight of an administration that has staked its reputation on healthcare and infrastructure. They carry the ambition of a governor who has set himself a target that would be the envy of any politician: 100 per cent.

"Let us come out en masse. Let's vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. No sentiments," Uzodimma urged.

The next few months will determine whether Imo State becomes the model for APC dominance or a cautionary tale about the limits of political ambition. One thing is certain: the buses are rolling, the campaign is underway, and the battle for 100 per cent has begun.

The question for Imo's voters—and indeed for all Nigerians—is whether the promise of Renewed Hope has been fulfilled or whether it remains just that: a promise waiting to be kept.