Odom Joins Imo Guber Race

Former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Chuka Odom has joined the 2015 governorship race in Imo State.

Odom, who first served as Minister of State for Environ­ment, Housing and Urban De­velopment in the late President Umaru Yar’Adua administration before he was redeployed to the FCT ministry, has already picked the expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Ikeduru-born politician is coming into the race with a rich pedigree and the odds favour him for the PDP ticket despite the fact that some strong governorship aspirants have emerged from his native Imo East Senatorial Dis­trict also on the PDP platform.

Besides serving as minister, he has a corporate cognate ex­perience that puts him ahead of others, considering his vast in­volvement in the private sector,

particularly legal practice span­ning over 20 years.

He was a former deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Umuahia, Abia State in the ad­ministration of former governor Orji Uzor Kalu. His exemplary performance distinguished him and resulted in another appoint­ment as the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Plan­ning, from where he was moved to Special Duties.

As the FCT minister of State, Odom invented an autonomous funding mechanism for the de­velopment of satellite towns in the capital territory. This, many say, would come handy against the backdrop of the setbacks suf­fered by Imo State in the area of housing and urban development.