Two weeks after the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections, Nigerians will once again troop to the polls to elect governors and legislators in state Houses of Assembly across the country on Saturday, March 9, 2019.
While governorship election will take place in 29 states, legislative elections will take place in all 36 states as well as Area Council election in the Federal Capital Terriroty (FCT).
While the elections are being contested by 1,158 governorship candidates across the country, many of them are billed as keen contests between only a few candidates in each state.
Imo State
Senator Hope Uzodinma, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is a two-term legislative representative of the Imo West
Senator Hope Uzodinma is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State
Uzodinma’s emergence as the flag-bearer of the APC for the March 9 election has attracted national attention as it invoked the anger of incumbent governor, Rochas Okorocha, who wields great influence in the party. The governor had tried to ensure his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, emerged the party’s candidate, but his failure has resulted in the governor declaring war on Uzodinma and the party’s national leadership.
The 2019 election is not the first time that Uzodinma, a businessman who was involved in oil and gas and marine operations, is contesting in the Imo State governorship election. He contested in the 2003 governorship election on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and lost. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Nigeria Customs Service also lost in the PDP’s primary election for the 2007 governorship election.
Other than his troubles with Okorocha, Uzodinma was arrested in November 2018 on allegations of contract fraud to the tune of $12.5 million. He allegedly received the sum for the dredging of Calabar channel from the Nigerian Ports Authority, but failed to execute the contract. He dismissed the allegations as the manifestation of a political witchhunt.
Ihedioha Emeka is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State [PUO Reports]
Like Uzodinma, the PDP’s candidate, Ihedioha Emeka, is an experienced lawmaker who’s served in different roles at the Federal House of Representatives. The 53-year-old was first elected to the lower chamber of the National Assembly as the representative of Aboh-Mbasie-Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency of Imo State in 2003. He won re-election in 2007 and was elected Chief Whip before winning re-election again in 2011 and was elected Deputy Speaker of the House. He contested in the 2015 governorship election and lost to Okorocha with a margin of over 90,000 votes.
He’s served as Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport and later as Chairman of the House Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa.
