As the chairmanship election of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers takes place next Monday, delegates from Orlu Zone ( Imo West) hold the key to whoever will emerge victorious in the contest.
There are three front-line aspirants in the race, the incumbent Eze Sam Agunwa Ohiri (Owerri zone), Eze Sam Oliver Ohanweh (Okigwe zone) and Eze Chidume Okoro (Owerri Zone)
There is no aspirant from Orlu Zone. Modalities for the election has placed Orlu zone to become the deciding factor in the polls.
*Eze Sam Ohiri
Chairman, Imo State Council Of Traditional Rulers*
81 delegates will decide the fate of the contenders. Owerri zone will produce 27 delegates,18 from Okigwe zone and Orlu zone 36.
Except Okigwe and Owerri zones delegates jointly vote for a candidate will Orlu Zone’s voting power at the polls erode. Both zones have a total of 45 delegates. This scenario is not possible as Eze Ohiri and Eze Okoro will certainly share the votes from Owerri zone.
Eze Ohanweh looks good to sweep the votes of 18 delegates from his Okigwe zone and will need sufficient votes from Orlu Zone to emerge victorious.
Three delegates emerged from each of the 27 local governments in the State. Whoever garners the support or votes of the delegates from Orlu Zone wins the election- the first in the history of Imo Traditional Rulers Council.
* Eze Chidume Okoro
One of the contenders from Okigwe zone, Eze Oliver Ohanweh had appealed to delegates to vote for him on the basis that Okigwe zone has
*HRM Eze Sam Oliver Ohanweh*
not produced a chairman of the council, assuring that after Okigwe zone’s tenure, it would provide ample opportunity for Orlu Zone to have the next Chairman of the council.