Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, appears to have shrugged off Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike's remarks, choosing instead to concentrate on deepening his campaign for President Bola Tinubu's re-election. Uzodimma, also the Chairman of the Progressives Governors' Forum (PGF) and Director-General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA), has intensified efforts to take the message of Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda to local communities across Nigeria. This approach suggests a shift of emphasis from political exchanges to the larger electoral objective of consolidating support for Tinubu.
Rather than engaging Wike in a public war of words, Uzodimma has launched a wider media and public enlightenment campaign, with a weekly media outreach to be featured on television channels. The RHA Director of Logistics, Shehu Bala Usman, said the latest phase of the strategy involves using digital and new media platforms to enlighten the general public about the Federal Government's policies and counter misinformation. This initiative aims to connect the administration's reforms narrative with voters at the grassroots.
A group of lawyers had called on the FCT Minister to stop personal attacks on Uzodimma, citing potential conflict of interest and the need for proper coordination of the President's re-election campaign. However, Uzodimma has continued to focus on building a nationwide communication and mobilisation machinery for the Tinubu administration. The RHA had earlier unveiled a digital platform designed to aggregate policy experts for reforms updates and other government information.
The digital platform also integrates social media channels to widen its reach and provides for citizen engagements and feedback. The organisation's structures have been extended from the national level to states, local governments, wards, and polling units. This development represents an expansion of Uzodimma's broader strategy of using media communication as a mobilisation tool ahead of the 2027 elections.
At a national mobilisation retreat in Abuja in June 2026, Uzodimma warned that inadequate communication could create a distorted public perception of government policies and achievements. He urged supporters to take the administration's message directly to the grassroots and subsequently disclosed a mobilisation architecture covering Nigeria's 176,846 polling units. Uzodimma appointed 25 canvassers at each polling unit, amounting to 4,421,150 grassroots mobilisers.
Uzodimma has used the RHA platform to rally support for Tinubu's second-term bid, instructing National Directors and Coordinators in the 36 states, including the FCT, to intensify grassroots mobilisation and public awareness of the administration's programmes. The RHA said the media strategy is being positioned not merely as an information campaign but as a grassroots communication network capable of taking the Renewed Hope message into communities, markets, campuses, wards, and polling units.
Uzodimma had earlier said the 2027 election would test public acceptance of Tinubu's reform agenda, arguing that supporters of the administration must do more to communicate its policies and achievements to Nigerians. The governor has been at the forefront of President Tinubu's re-election, citing the President's reforms and development initiatives as the basis for a second term. The media strategy is expected to play a crucial role in shaping public perception and mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Key points
- Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has intensified media campaign for President Bola Tinubu's re-election despite FCT Minister Nyesom Wike's remarks.
- Uzodimma's media strategy involves using digital and new media platforms to enlighten the public about the Federal Government's policies and counter misinformation.
- The 2027 election will test public acceptance of Tinubu's reform agenda, with Uzodimma rallying support for the President's second-term bid.
