As Owerri Zone step up their preparation to occupy Douglas House in 2027, many Owerri zone leaders have canvassed the idea that Owerri Zone should allow Okigwe Zone to complete their second tenure through His Excellency, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, a former governor of Imo State.
Among those championing this cause, is Sir Amb. Jerry Opara, the Chairman of Odinma Nke Imo: Hope & Ekomaru Support Group.
At a press conference recently held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the Ikeduru born elder statesman and political strategist called on all well meaning Owerri zone stakeholders, including the youths, to support the former governor to complete the second tenure which Okigwe Zone was deprived of in 2011.
Sir Opara said “Bringing Ohakim in after the expiration of the administration of our amiable governor, His Excellency, Chief Hope Uzodinma, (Onwa), will not only be the icing on the cake in solidifying the gains we have made in the last eight years of this administration, but will usher in a new era of peace in Imo State. Certainly, the animosity that has been in the air since 2011 will vanish.”
Sir Opara stated that if his proposal is accepted, the people of Owerri Zone will be reconciling with Okigwe Zone and the wounds from 2011 will be healed.
His words, “I have a lot of good friends and political associates spread across the three zones in Imo State. What I can tell you is, there is so much tension between Owerri Zone and Okigwe Zone since 2011, when Ohakim was removed from office.
“Okigwe people believe that the removal of Ohakim was an act orchestrated by the leaders of Owerri Zone who believed that it was our turn to produce the governor. I have looked at all the blames, I have looked at what happened in 2011, and I propose that we, all of us in Owerri Zone should join hands to return Ohakim to the Government House, come 2027. That will go down in history as showing our reconciliation with our Okigwe brothers. And we will all be healed from the wounds of 2011.”he stated.
Opara described the former governor as a great policy maker whose blueprint for quality all-round development of Imo State has since been emulated by other governors who went on to excel in their various states.
He commended the members of the Imo State House of Assembly (IMHA) on the recent bill to resuscitate the Imo Rural Roads Maintenance Agency (IRROMA), which he described as one of the landmark achievements of the Ikedi Ohakim administration that was truncated after the removal of the former governor.
Recall it was Prince Bob Njemanze, an Imo elder statesman, of Owerri zone extraction who pioneered the idea of Owerri Zone supporting Okigwe Zone in Imo 2027.
According to Njemanze, Owerri Zone stands a better chance at producing a governor of Owerri Zone extraction, by allowing Okigwe Zone to complete their second tenure through the former governor, who is constitutionally bound to leave office after four years.
Following Njemanze’s opinion, Amaugo Ugorji, an elder statesman from Owerri zone, described Ohakim as a visionary leader whose tangible environmental policies, in particular, the transformative Clean and Green initiative left an indelible mark on the State, a development which led the Federal Government to recognize Owerri zone as the cleanest city in Nigeria.