Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo of has declared that the residents of the state would support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Speaking in Owerri on Friday during a reception organised for members of the presidential media tour, Uzodimma said President Tinubu’s subsidy removal led to the surge in the federal allocation given to the state.

“Our people have already decided that they want President Bola Ahmed Tinubu back as the president because without him and his policies and programmes, this environment we are enjoying today would have been very impossible to achieve,” the governor said.

“So, you are at home and that is the name now that opens doors in Imo state. Discuss with us and also move from here to other states because I am almost certain that many governors of APC in Nigeria are working so hard, deploying the additional revenue that has accrued.”

Uzodimma said he backed Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal, noting that the policy has freed up more resources for states across the country.

“In 2020 January 15th, when I was sworn in to be the governor of this state, accountant-general told me the next two days that they were going for FAAC,” he said.

“He came back from FAAC meeting, I thought he was going to bring money. He told me after salary we had only N100 million. That was what was happening to many states.

“Immediately May 29th, 2023, came, after FAAC, I saw over N10.7 billion. I said what? So, when people were trying to oppose removal of subsidy, I had to put my belt and my jeans, I came out and said subsidy must be removed.

“So, whatever this man has done to make us have access to funds to help the people must continue. So today. I am indeed very happy and glad that we were able to deploy these resources to visible programmes and projects that our people today are very very happy for it.”

The governor also said the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) under his leadership has increased from N400 million monthly in 2020 to nearly N6 billion at the moment.

“I made an IGR of less than N400 million in 2020, my IGR is very close to N6 billion a month now. In 2020 our debt profile was we N287 billion, today as I speak to you, we are less than N90 billion. So, day by day we are reducing the debt profile,” he said.

“The state has become very solvent. In 2020, movement from one end of Imo state to another takes an average of two to three hours.”

Speaking on power supply, Uzodimma said Imo is ready for business, noting that the state now generates, transmits and distributes electricity.

“Talking of electricity, my people forgot about electricity because what they had here was bulk billing. No metering, the light was not available but as today I speak, we generate, we transmit, we distribute electricity, in the state capital, including this government house,” he said.

“This is homemade electricity and we will not disappoint. By the end of this year, we will continue to respond to the local government. Imo is ready for business.”