Some leaders want to be loved. They are those with the Essianic complex. They focus more on the optics than reality and do not lose any opportunity to play to the gallery.
Then some leaders chase legacy; they just want to get the job done. They are like workmen focused on execution. They are not seeking to be loved but to be admired. They are assertive without
fear of rejection. They confront reality with the sobriety of the sage and are often wrongly accused of lacking empathy.
They are the alpha men and women, leaders who take charge and are confident in their abilities and decisions. They are goal-oriented, self-motivated and determined to achieve them, even if it requires strategising to overcome obstacles. In the bowl of time, they are often the leaders who end up with legacies.
President Bola Tinubu is in the second category of leaders. His political trajectory has proven that beyond any doubt. You may not love or like the president, but you’re forced to admire his successes.
This same man has a reputation as a human resources hunter who has a knack for spotting talent. Thus, when it was announced last week that President Tinubu had appointed Uzodinma as his “Renewed Hope Ambassador”, the man expected to sell his administration’s agenda across the country, it meant a recognition of Uzodinma’s leadership charisma.
Tinubu must have seen in Uzodimma a shade of himself. He must have taken notice of the Imo governor as an alpha leader who gets the job done. That is why he’s made for this tough season, a season when public trust in government is low, and expectations far outweigh what reality can deliver. This is not the season for the lily-livered; only the tough can keep going.
Nationwide reactions to his appointment as the Renewed Hope Ambassador prove Uzodimma has established himself as a bona fide national political figure. From north to south, the reactions suggest that Tinubu has made the right choice of leader for the party.
Many APC-aligned groups, youth organisations, and business leaders across the country have praised the appointment as a recognition of Uzodinma’s leadership and a boost for national mobilisation.
Congratulatory messages in the media highlighted Uzodinma’s capacity for coordination and creating party synergy, with some saying the appointment was a “testament to his indispensable role in APC”.
But no one is in doubt that Uzodimma’s choice for the job is a step toward harmony and inclusivity in the party and in the country. The governor himself recognised this and expressed gratitude to Tinubu for the appointment while stressing his commitment to strengthening the APC’s grassroots efforts and advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda for national development.
Uzodimma has proven his leadership pedigree as the chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum. Leading at a time of great economic difficulties for the country and the people is not a yacht cruise. It demands courage, belief and dogged determination to accomplish objectives and desire to do the right things and defend them, even when they’re not good for political optics.
The forum has worked tirelessly to coordinate support for the transformative efforts of the Tinubu administration at a time when the government is battling public discontent over inflation and the impact of fuel subsidy removal. Such strategic coordination has ensured that many Nigerians bought into the administration’s transformative agenda.
Uzodimma has now been called to lead a nationwide mobilisation and engagement effort aimed at boosting support for Tinubu’s policies at the grassroots.
According to a press statement from the presidency, “Tinubu expects Uzodimma and his colleagues to promote and disseminate the party’s achievements and milestones since 2023, thereby reinforcing the message of Renewed Hope nationwide.”
Uzodimma’s job has been made easier due to positive developments around the economy. Inflation has eased for the seventh month in a row to 16.05 per cent in October, while the exchange rate has stabilised and foreign reserves have risen to over $46bn this month, up from $32bn and a net reserve of $4bn inherited in 2023.
There are also indications that investor confidence is gradually returning as both FDI and portfolio investments are said to be on the rise in key sectors, especially oil and gas, solid minerals, and the stock market. Several other positive indicators would be in Uzodimma’s handbook when he embarks on his new task. No matter your side of the political divide, the leadership capacity that has been demonstrated by Uzodimma in the last five years as governor of Imo State has been phenomenal. Despite governing a state with a vicious, politically induced opposition that swore to make the state ungovernable, Uzodimma has triumphed.
Uzodinma has delivered handsomely on his administration’s “Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Recovery” (3R) agenda, focusing on infrastructure, digital economy, and security. Key accomplishments include the extensive reconstruction of federal and state roads, the revival of K.O. Mbadiwe University, and the development of digital skills programmes, earning him the title “Digital Governor of the Year.
He’s delivered the reconstruction of over 1000 kilometres of urban and rural roads, including the 35 km Owerri-Orlu dual carriageway and the 46 km Owerri-Okigwe road, while construction of urban roads in Owerri and other towns has continued.
He has provided potable water for the people through the rehabilitation of water schemes like the Eluama Water Scheme in Orlu and the Ekenguru Water Scheme in Aboh Mbaise LGA.
He’s established training centres for digital skills like cybersecurity, mobile app development, and blockchain technology, which have attracted youth from across the country and won him an award in 2024 from the National Information Technology Merit Awards (NITMA) for using technology to drive development in Imo State.
President Tinubu visited Imo State recently to commission some of these projects executed by the Uzodimma administration. Perhaps that was when he won over the president. If he could deliver in such a hostile political environment, the president must have thought, he would deliver even better when conditions are malleable.
He came to power on the wings of a Supreme Court judgment of January 14, 2020, which nullified the People’s Democratic Party’s victory and declared him the authentic winner of the governorship election conducted in 2019.
The Supreme Court had ruled that results from 388 polling units, which Uzodimma claimed were omitted from his vote count, were now allowed, which upped his tally from 96,468 to 309,753, surpassing the PDP candidate’s total votes of 273,404.
From day one, when he assumed office, Uzodimma fought against forces that sought to isolate the southeast from national politics. His vision and dogged determination to domesticate that vision in the region have paid off handsomely today. With support from like minds, the region has embraced the ruling party.
Uzodimma’s appointment comes as the federal government prepares to launch its Ward Development Programme nationwide, a flagship component of the Renewed Hope agenda designed to channel micro-projects, social services and livelihood support directly to Nigeria’s 8,809 electoral wards.
It is a recognition of Uzodimma’s consistent loyalty to the ideals of the Renewed Hope agenda and his capacity for broad-based political mobilisation. As the South East Renewed Hope Agenda (SERHA) said in a statement, Uzodimma’s appointment as Renewed Hope Ambassador underscores his unwavering loyalty to Nigeria and the APC. It is a clear reflection of the confidence President Tinubu and the party place in his capacity to deliver on national objectives.
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