5 Months After Sack Of Commissioners: Pressure Mounts On Gov. Uzodinma To Reconstitute Cabinet

By Sampson Uhuegbu, Owerri 

Five months after sack of Commissioners, Special Advisers (SA’s) and Senior Special Assistants (SSA’s), pressure from all quarters have continued to mount on Governor Hope Uzodimma to reconstitute his cabinet.

Twenty (20) out of Twenty Eight (28) Commissioners; including other Aides were relieved of their appointments in the Month of May, 2021; while Commissioners for Budget& Planning, Finance, Agriculture, Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs, Information, Youths & Sports, Works and Women Affairs & Social Development were returned.

It would recalled, that Senator Uzodimma had, in a function, disclosed that he would shock people of the State with the calibre of people that will make the list his Cabinet. It appears the Governor may break into the People Democratic Party, PDP, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA to pick the people he desires; including his core loyalists in ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

As the 2023 general election is fast approaching, Uzodimma is said to have been dragging his foot not to choose those that would betray him- even as the race for another political dispensation has clandestinely begun.

Also, his loyalists and other notable Imo APC members that were hopeful of getting appointments, appear to have been engulfed by apprehension over the lingered stay of the Governor not to have reconstituted cabinet.

Meanwhile, major parties in Imo have lo their to the ruling APC. Prominent among them were the immediate-past Imo APGA Chairman; Barrister Peter Ezeobi who defected to APC and was immediately appointed by Governor Hope Uzodimma as Special Adviser on Waste Management.

Also, the Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party; Mr. Ogubundu Nwadike resigned his appointment and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Ealier, there had been a gale of defections of stalwarts of the APGA, PDP to the governing APC. Prominent among them was the political exit of former Imo West PDP Senatorial candidate in the 2019 general election; UgoSly Nwachukwu and others.

A source told our Correspondent that Governor Uzodimma will likely release the list by next week as the coast has now been cleared for him to do so.