*ADVERTORIAL*
I have long thought about this question and I know that many of us in Imo state are also asking the same thing. What exactly is equity? Is equity about who shouts the loudest?
Is it about who has suffered the most? Or is it about correcting an injustice and restoring balance? If we are to be honest to ourselves, Okigwe zone is the biggest victim of political injustice in Imo state. The reality of the Imo Charter of Equity is that it was created to ensure that power rotates fairly among the three zones – Orlu, Okigwe and Owerri – so that no single zone dominates leadership. It was meant to give every zone a full and fair opportunity to govern.
Orlu zone began the cycle in 1999 with Achike Udenwa and he served for eight full years between that date and 2007. In 2007, the rotation moved to Okigwe with Ikedi Ohakim but this is where the injustice began. Okigwe was not allowed to complete its statutorily allowed eight years as Orlu did. Agreed that Ohakim was elected for an initial term of four years, the gentleman understanding inherent in the Charter of Equity meant that Okigwe should have done eight years like Orlu. That meant that even if Ohakim was found wanting, another Okigwe fellow should have been allowed to move in to complete Okigwe’s eight years. But that was not to be. Ohakim was hounded out of office and power returned to Orlu.
This is the root of the imbalance we have today. That root was the costly mistake of 2011. In 2011, Owerri zone had a choice. It could have stood by Okigwe zone, allowing it to complete eight years and which could have led to a smooth and seamless transition of power to Owerri zone in 2015.
Instead, Owerri zone leaders made a deal with Rochas Okorocha, an Orlu zone, believing his promise to serve just one term and hand over to Owerri zone in 2015. In the process, Owerri zone used its full political weight, propaganda,lies and elite conspiracy to push Okorocha into power, betraying Okigwe’s rightful turn. Owerri leaders thought that they had secured power but Rochas was smarter than them all.
Instead of stepping down in 2015, Rochas ran for a second term and succeeded in doing another four years in office. When it was time to leave in 2019, instead of working towards handing over to a fellow from Owerri zone, he made every effort to impose his son-in-law, another Orlu fellow. So, Owerri did not lose power in 2015 because of Okigwe. It lost power in 2015 because of the choices of its own people. Owerri people were misled by their so-called leaders to make a deal with the wrong person; a deal they would have made with Ohakim, a man who, unlike Rochas, would have been bound by the constitution to leave office by 2015.
Now let’s come to the question, who should take power in 2027/28? Now that Hope Uzodimma is completing his second term, where should power go to in 2027? The people of Owerri zone say it is their turn. Those is Okigwe are insisting on returning to power to do another four years. Orlu zone people argue that since Rochas and Uzodimma were not products of the Charter of Equity, Orlu has the option of running again. They further argue that in all previous elections since 1999, both Owerri and Okigwe zones have always produced candidates; including in 2023 when the Charter of Equity favoured Uzodimma, the incumbent, to do another four years.
But again let’s leave politics and ask one simple question: If equity means fairness, then isn’t the first step towards fairness to correct the injustice of the past? Okigwe was the first to be cheated. If we are truly talking about restoring the Charter of Equity, shouldn’t we first give Okigwe the four years it was denied before moving forward?
Yes, Owerri zone has had only a total of about thirty five months since the beginning of the current dispensation: Evan Enwerem’s eighteen months and Emeka Ihedioha’s seven months. However, the fact remains that Okigwe was already on the seat and was hounded out of office through a subterfuge master minded by Owerri zone. The right and fair thing, therefore, is to let Okigwe go back and complete the eight years it is entitled to, in the spirit of the Charter of Equity, so that the cycle can continue naturally and smoothly.
The question I ask my brothers in Owerri zone is, which is more strategic: rushing into power now or making sure that our turn is guaranteed and secured when we get into power. Let’s be clear: if Okigwe does not complete its eight years as dictated by the morals of the Charter of Equity, then the charter remains broken and any other zone can struggle and take power at any time. But if Owerri supports Okigwe now, its turn will be secured when it gets into power in 2031 because justice would have been done. Put in a more succinct language, if at the end of the day Owerri succeeds in taking power now, then the Charter of Equity will remain a joke, something politicians will always twist to suit their way.
In summary and conclusion, I posit that the Imo Charter of Equity was broken in 2011 and as such, for us to fix it, we must go back to where it was broken. The only fair solution to the problem, the only real equity, is for Okigwe to complete eight years as Orlu did prior to 2011 before Owerri takes its turn. That is justice. That is fairness. That is the only way to restore political harmony and balance in Imo state. Let us right the wrongs of the past so that we can build a future that is truly fair to everyone.
Obinna Ndukwe Writes For IMO UNCENSORED
