The quest for the people of Owerri Zone to occupy Douglas House come 2019 received a major boast this weekend, as the Socio-cultural Union of Orlu Zone, the Orlu peoples Assembly has thrown their weight behind the agitation.
Speaking to newsmen in Owerri Saturday June 3rd 2017, the Chairman Board of Trustee of Orlu Peoples Assembly, Chief of Chris Esiobu said that Orlu people are neither greedy nor selfish not to reciprocate the support of Owerri Zone in their 1999 and 2011 guber aspirations.
He pointed out that in 2011, the leaders of both Orlu and Owerri Zone met at the residence of Prof. Anthony Anwuka, where they deliberated and signed communiqué that after Orlu Zone, they should support Owerri Zone in 2015.
Though he regretted that the agreement was truncated by the incumbent Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha who came out to vie for second term in 2015, he however vowed that the entire Orlu Zone will mobilize and support an Owerri man in 2019.
According to Esiobu, who is popularly called Guber, the Socio-cultural Organization will use their structure and membership to support any credible candidate the Owerri people will field in 2019 irrespective of the Political Party Platform.
On the allegation that Okorocha is preparing his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu for the 2019 guber, the Director General of APC Progressive Members said that Uche Nwosu is too young and inexperienced to govern the State.
He also maintained that having taken the slot for 16 years, that Orlu Zone, in the interest of justice and equity, should support Owerri for 2019.
“How can we be talking that the North is marginalizing the Igbo, white in Imo, Orlu Zone is still marginalizing other Zones, especially Owerri people. Honesty when we cry unto God for the Northern domination, he will not answer us”, he stated.
He therefore advised the people of Owerri Zone to put their house in order, irrespective of Political Party Platform and bring out a man with high integrity so that Orlu people will rally round such a man.
He also commended Hon. Uche Onyeagocha for being courageous and for speaking out, irrespective of every act of intimidation.
The immediate past Chairman Imo Standard Shoe Company regretted that the State Government through their policies deliberately killed the shoe industry and allowed the Italian Investors, Wing Group, to allegedly embezzle about NL5 billion from the Organization.
He also called on Governor Rochas Okorocha to suspend and investigate one of his aides, whom he alleged has amassed so much wealth and erected gigantic mansions under the present administration, saying that his salary as a Civil Servant cannot account for the wealth, even as he described him as the commander of corruption in Imo Government House.