The growing dissatisfaction with the way Imo State is being governed took another political expression when the Ugwumba Movement declared its readiness to work for a change of leadership, describing its mission as an “operation to wipe them out of power.”
The declaration was made when Dr Chima Matthew Amadi paid a courtesy visit to Alhaji Shinkafi, where he met with members of the Ugwumba Movement and engaged them on the challenges confronting the people of Imo State and the political choices before the state in 2027.
Speaking during the meeting, the event’s Anchor, Mr Chibueze Njoku, said members had concluded that the current political leadership had failed the people and must be replaced.
He described Amakohia as a politically significant area because of its voting strength and assured Dr Amadi of the movement’s support, promising that its members would work for his emergence.
The group also acknowledged the interventions Dr Amadi has continued to make across Imo State, particularly his support for women and community development projects, noting that his activities had demonstrated a commitment to the people even before his decision to seek elective office.
For Hon Henry Onwukwe, Director General of The Mazi Organisation, the 2027 contest is also about correcting a long-standing imbalance in political representation.
Speaking on the issue of equity, Onwukwe noted that Ngor Okpala had never produced a senator representing the Owerri Zone, arguing that the Action Peoples Party’s decision to award its senatorial ticket to a candidate from the area was consistent with the principle of fairness.
He said the party had not only chosen someone from Ngor Okpala but had chosen Dr Chima Matthew Amadi, a candidate whose activities across the state had already demonstrated his capacity to serve.
But beyond the immediate contest for the Owerri Senatorial District, Dr Amadi told the Ugwumba Movement that his political ambition goes beyond occupying a seat in the Senate.
He explained that the senatorial race is a strategic step towards securing the executive power required to bring about faster and more effective development across Imo State.
According to him, legislative representation can provide a platform for advocacy and oversight, but executive power is necessary to fast-track the approval and execution of projects capable of transforming the lives of ordinary people.
“We are not looking at the Senate as our final destination,” Amadi told the gathering in substance. “The senatorial race is a strategic position that we are aiming to use to get to the Government House.”
He explained that what the movement is ultimately seeking is the executive authority to ensure that projects needed by the people do not remain trapped in bureaucracy, politics or misplaced priorities.
Amadi said one of the clearest examples of the problem facing Imo is the state’s road network.
He questioned the wisdom of concentrating resources on repainting roads that remain manageable while neglecting roads linking rural communities, where farmers, traders and small businesses depend on transportation to move people and goods.
For him, fixing those neglected roads is not simply about infrastructure. It is an economic intervention.
When those roads connecting communities are repaired, transportation becomes easier, the cost of moving goods comes down, and the prices ultimately paid by ordinary people can also reduce. Better roads, he argued, would strengthen trade, investment and economic activity across the state.
He told the group that his approach to governance would be anchored on a clear understanding of priorities, insisting that public resources must be directed towards projects that directly improve the lives of the people.
Amadi also acknowledged that the people no longer need long explanations about the problems confronting the state.
He said that everywhere he has gone, he has encountered people who have already experienced the consequences of poor governance first-hand.
“They have felt the pain,” he noted, pointing to the hardship, poor infrastructure and other difficulties confronting ordinary Imolites.
The meeting with the Ugwumba Movement therefore became more than a courtesy visit. It reflected the growing political conversation around 2027 and the desire among sections of the electorate for a different direction for Imo State.
For Dr Amadi, the message is becoming increasingly clear: the people are tired of a system that has failed to meet their needs, and they are ready to make a different political choice.
He thanked members of the Ugwumba Movement for the opportunity to engage with them, while urging them to remain committed to the larger struggle for a government that puts the interests of the people ahead of politics and misplaced priorities.