TDIn a remarkable showdown between Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji and a New York based critic of the Hope Uzodimma administration in Imo State, the pioneer Commissioner of Homeland Security rendered an impassioned defense of the record of the Shared Prosperity 3R government in Imo State. The scene took place during an interactive session Ugorji held with men, women and young folks at a meeting of the Mbaise Association of New York on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
In an answer to a question that wondered why what’s going on in Abia State cannot happen in Imo State, Ugorji was jarringly resolute in the face of apparent discomfort about the Imo State government by a member of the audience.
“I am a truth teller and a democratic realist. Whenever we see good governance anywhere, we must applaud it. Governor Otti appears to be doing well in Abia, and even though he is not a member of the APC, I have no reluctance to applaud him,” Ugorji said to great applause. But he was not done.
“However, I have news for you. As good as Otti maybe in Abia, Governor Hope Uzodimma has done more for Imo than Otti has done for Abia so far.” The audience went silent. They wanted to hear evidence of Ugorji’s seemingly stunning assertion.
“Starting with the unparalleled recovery of Imo State from the fangs of manufactured security challenges, to the remarkable construction of roads, to the “SkillUpImo” program, to establishment of the highest minimum wages and the payment of salaries and pensions, to reforms in the civil service, to 7,000 Vigilante Officers across the state, to the Health insurance scheme of the state, and the remarkable state of political stability in the state, Uzodmma’s strides continue to set the pace in governance in the Southeast,” Ugorji stated.
Why then does Otti appear to be more popular? Ugorji told the audience about two hard working leaders (Uzodimma and Otti), with Otti perhaps having the more effective public relations thrust. He also said that Otti rides on the spontaneous goodwill of the Obidients on social media, having been elected on the platform of the Labour Party with Peter Obi as its presidential candidate. “That goodwill, largely unrelated to performance, places extraordinary positive social media traffic about anything that Governor Otti does,” Ugorji opined.
Accused of speaking so well of Governor Uzodimma because he was “Hope’s man,” Ugorji roared with confidence and a tinge of defiant pride – “You are damn right, I am a Hope man. I am a standup Mbaise man and I dance with the one who brought me to the gathering. But I also have a reputation for truth telling. I would not be here praising Uzodimma if the record of accomplishments was ambiguous.”
According to Ugorji, his loyalty is values-based. “The test of a man’s loyalty is not what he does in times of comfort, convenience and the abundance of patronage. The test is in what a man does in times of conflict, in times of discomfort and in times of heat and pressure” he opined.
“We who served and/or are still serving with Uzodimma, must be more assertive in the narrative about the government,” Ugorji recommended. Uzodimma is taciturn about his work, Ugorji said – “but we, his comrades, don’t have to be opaque about his work.”
He went on to say that more can be done, and even those great things that Uzodimma has done can be improved. “Uzodimma will run his race and bow out with a superlative record. If you want the government to do more in Mbaise, you must work to elect a governor from Mbaise. I don’t begrudge the great things governors from Orlu Zone have done in the Orlu Zone. If I am elected as governor, you can bet your last kobo that Mbaise and Owerri Zone will be a priority – not the only priority but a clear and immediate priority.”
