Thunderous Whispers: Poet Laureate—Ugorji Explores 2027 Run

By Vivian C. Iwu

In 2023, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji brought a seminal twist to the reelection campaign of Governor Hope Uzodimma, CON.

Dr. Ugorji penned two original poems: _Paint Me Four,_ and _Ubiquitous Hope_ . For the literati in Imo, it was a significant convergence of politics and poetry.

The poems did not get Governor Hope Uzodimma reelected, but it demonstrated the cerebral rigor and vigor with which Ugorji approached the governor’s reelection bid.

Now, word in the urban streets and village track roads is that the poet laureate is contemplating a run for the highest office in the state.

For this writer, nothing would be more exciting in 2027 than to see a celebrated creative mind enter the intriguing trenches of political combat, not for someone else, but for his values.

If that happens, chances are that it would be a different kind of political campaign.

_Paint Me Four_ placed Governor Uzodimma in a rarified company, with Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara, and Sam Mbakwe. The picture is better read than explained.

_Ubiquitous Hope_ dispensed with subtlety and advocated for the reelection of the man named Hope, who Ugorji saw as so dominant that he seemed to be everywhere at the time.

Ugorji is the author of twelve books (including a collection of poems), and publisher of over one hundred others. In 2023, he was celebrated as the Writer-in-Focus by the Imo State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).

In 2021, Uzodimma created the seminal Ministry of Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs in Imo State. It was perhaps the only ministry created with only one man in mind as Commissioner. Ugorji was that man, and boy! he delivered with gusto.

Ugorji became the pioneer commissioner. Under his leadership, over one thousand and two hundred Imo Security officers were recruited and trained, community vigilantes groups in various Autonomous Communities were inaugurated, and security threats were mitigated.

Traditional rulers and President Generals of town unions, where he had gone to inaugurate security outfits, sang the praises of Governor Uzodimma.

In his beloved home LGA of Aboh Mbaise and across Imo, he personally funded party activities, organized youth and women, and mobilized registered voters to go to the polls for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

He completed his tenure as Commissioner in 2024 and handed over to his successor. He did not leave Imo State to return to the US. He stayed in Owerri without flinching.

“Home is where my Igbo ancestors know me,” Ugorji once said at an ANA event. When he left office, he chose dignified quietude over pettiness, and loyal cordiality over incessant lobbying. Perhaps with careful planning of his professional life, he does not need a government job for family sustainability.

If the election of the next Chief Executive Officer of Imo State will be based on just the articulation of a vision and the courage to lead, it might well be an easy contest for Ugorji.

And if the criteria are experiential and academic preparations, it would be competitively favourable for him. The man has two Bachelor’s degrees, two Master’s degrees (one in Homeland Security), and a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Administration.

But politics is a lot more complicated than that. There are various interests among very important stakeholders, including the voters, that must be negotiated.

However, Ugorji’s potential candidacy with virtually no known baggage, with a steely sense of loyalty, and with a deep and high reach, provides the kind of eclectic leadership around which a consensus can be built for Uzodimma’s successor.

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