By Obinna Ndukwe
In politics, there are moments when a state does not just need another election; it needs healing. Moments when experience must meet empathy, and continuity must be joined with conscience. For Imo State, that moment is now.
And the man for that moment is Dr. Ikedi Godson Ohakim, the Harmony Candidate.
A Man Tempered by Time
Few leaders in our history have walked the full circle of governance, grace, and growth as Ohakim has. He began early, serving as President General of his community while still a young man, commanding the respect of elders and inspiring the youth. Later, as Commissioner under Chief Evan Enwerem, he learned the inner workings of governance and the discipline that defines true leadership.
Those experiences built in him a rare quality: the firmness of a leader and the humility of a servant. That balance has become his greatest strength, allowing him to understand every side without losing his own center.
A Quiet History with the Present
It is not widely known, but history once brought Ikedi Ohakim and Senator Hope Uzodimma together under the same political roof. In 2003, when Uzodimma contested for governor under the Alliance for Democracy, he chose Ohakim as his running mate, drawn by shared values of structure, discipline, and integrity.
Fate took them on different journeys, but mutual respect remained. Today, when Ohakim speaks glowingly of Governor Uzodimma’s leadership, it is not out of politics but out of understanding.
At a stakeholders’ event in Owerri, Ohakim said:
> “What you have seen in Governor Uzodimma’s achievements so far is like admiring a lady in a bikini; you are impressed by what you see, but what truly matters lies within, what you have not seen yet. What Uzodinma is doing in Imo is amazing, more is coming.”
That statement was not flattery. It was recognition. It takes one builder to see the blueprint of another.
The Harmony Candidate
Every generation produces a man whose mission is not to rule but to reconcile. Ohakim is that man for this season.
He is not coming to disrupt. He is coming to stabilize.
He is not seeking to replace legacies but to preserve and expand them.
He is not here to reopen wounds but to heal them.
Imo has made remarkable progress under Governor Hope Uzodinma, from infrastructure renewal to digital governance, from roads that connect communities to bridges that connect trust. Yet for every great builder, there must be a trusted continuer, one who can sustain the rhythm and deepen the peace.
That is where Ohakim fits naturally.
A Legacy Worth Protecting
Governor Uzodimma has restored confidence in Imo’s potential. The next phase must protect that foundation, strengthen unity among zones, and rekindle trust among communities.
Ohakim’s temperament makes him uniquely suited for this responsibility. He has known both victory and defeat, glory and pain, and through it all, he has kept his heart soft and his hands clean. He is the one man whose political scars have turned into wisdom, whose maturity now stands taller than ambition.
He will not fight old battles; he will finish old dreams.
The Path Forward
Imo State no longer needs warriors. It needs healers.
It needs someone who can sit with Orlu, reason with Okigwe, and reassure Owerri that the future belongs to everyone, not to a few.
Ohakim embodies that spirit.
He has lived it, led it, and learned from it.
He is not running against anyone. He is walking with everyone toward one goal: a prosperous, peaceful, and united Imo State.
In the End
History does not just remember who won elections; it remembers who healed divisions.
When the story of this generation is told, may it be said that after Hope came Harmony, and through Harmony came Healing.
Because in the man called Ikedi Ohakim, Imo can find both continuity and calm — a steady bridge between where we are and where we are meant to be.
Obinna Ndukwe writes from Owerri. He is a political commentator and analyst on governance, leadership, and equity in Imo State._
