A fresh crisis is brewing in Imo State as leaders from Owerri and Okigwe zones engage in a war of words over the controversial Imo Charter of Equity.
The tension escalated following the reported submission of a petition by the Okigwe Global Forum on April 23rd, calling for a review of the Charter, which had been established last year as the framework for the rotation of governorship in the state.
The petition, presented by HRH Eze Oliver Ohanwe at a recent Council of Elders meeting, triggered immediate opposition from Owerri zone leaders, who view the move as a calculated attempt to undermine the existing agreement.
According to the Charter, powers should shift to Owerri zone in 2027 following the conclusion of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s second term.
The Council’s decision to entertain the petition and its promise to establish a review committee has now cast doubt on the integrity of the Charter.
Leaders from Owerri zone wasted no time expressing their outrage in a strongly worded letter to the Chairman of the Council of Elders. Some of the signatories of the letter are former Reps member, Hon Levi Oguike, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, Fr. Gerald Njoku, Chief Chris Njoku, and others.
The letter criticized the Council’s decision to consider the petition as a betrayal of trust and a deviation from the established consensus.
It warned that revisiting the Charter would destabilize the fragile political balance in the state, raising suspicions of a conspiracy to derail the agreement for the benefit of vested interests.
“The Council ought to have declared itself functus officio on the matter,” the letter stated, adding that any attempt to revisit the Charter “casts doubt on our resolve and threatens the very integrity of our collective decision.”
The leaders further accused the Council of succumbing to external pressures and fueling unnecessary divisions between Owerri and Okigwe zones.
Compounding the controversy, prominent Okigwe leaders, such as billionaire businessman, Tony Chukwu, had argued that Owerri zone, as hosts of the state capital, should forfeit its claim to the governorship to Okigwe zone.
His proposition has been widely rejected by Owerri leaders, who view it as an attempt to sideline their zone from the scramble for 2027 Imo governorship.
“The state capital cannot be used as a bargaining chip to deny Owerri its rightful place in the rotation of governorship,” said Emmanuel Okwu, President, Owerri Zone Awareness Coalition, OZAC.
This controversy has led to widespread speculation of a grand plot by certain forces, including those within Governor Uzodimma’s administration, to pit Owerri and Okigwe zones against each other.
A Political analyst, Mr. Chima Eke alleged that elements from Orlu zone, which has historically held the governorship of the state, are working behind the scenes to derail the Charter.
“Some forces in Orlu zone, including key appointees in Uzodimma’s government, are determined to ensure that power does not shift away from Orlu,” Eke alleged.
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