There is a dangerous craving in Owerri zone — the craving for power for the sake of power. It is a hunger so loud that in recent months the “Imo Charter of Equity” has dominated public debate more than the development of the state itself. Hospitals are failing, salaries unpaid, youth jobless, yet the loudest chorus is not “how do we fix Imo?” but “whose turn is it to be governor?”
This hunger has worn many masks. From OZOPOLF (Owerri Zone Political Leaders Forum) to OPOCA (Owerri Peoples Congress Association), from the Owerri Re-awakening Movement to Ezuruezu Mbaise Congress, every election cycle a new banner emerges promising to deliver Douglas House to Owerri. And yet, in most cases, these platforms collapse or compromise — often selling out to Orlu’s political machinery. Orlu’s “wu eze” concept — their king-making culture perfected since 1999 — has been the game changer. They know how to consolidate power, and while Owerri dances for promises, Orlu writes the results.
The Numbers That Tell the Story
Look at the data. In 2019, Owerri zone delivered nearly 50% of all decisive votes in the governorship race. PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha swept 11 LGAs with 273,404 votes, dwarfing Orlu’s fractured field. Uche Nwosu (AA) leaned on Orlu’s 124,071 votes, and Ifeanyi Ararume (APGA) split Okigwe’s bloc, leaving Hope Uzodinma (APC) trailing in fourth place with 96,458 votes. For once, Owerri’s quest seemed to be working: they stopped Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law from succeeding him and placed Ihedioha in Douglas House.
But that narrative was short-lived. Seven months later, another Orlu son, Hope Uzodinma, snatched the seat through a Supreme Court judgment that added 388 polling units and catapulted him from fourth to first. Owerri’s brief taste of power vanished, reinforcing the sense that while Orlu policymakers and power brokers act like partners before elections to lure Owerri’s support, they end up holding on to power when it matters.
In 2023, the numbers became even starker. Uzodinma swept all 27 LGAs, with 326,584 votes in Orlu zone alone (55% of total), dwarfing Owerri’s 98,600 and Okigwe’s 115,124. Orlu had turned its population advantage — roughly 45% of the state’s voters — into an unassailable grip. The “wu eze” machine had matured from dominance into permanence.
Okigwe: Waiting for Scraps
Then there is Okigwe zone, reduced to singing the tired chorus of “Ohakim’s one-term” as though that lone tenure were a trophy. But it is a hollow anthem: Ikedi Ohakim’s government is remembered more for reckless spending, poor development, and missed opportunities than for legacy. Okigwe has become the beggar of Imo politics, waiting for crumbs while the real contest plays out between Orlu’s permanence and Owerri’s desperation.
Do the People Gain?
The biggest lie of the Charter of Equity is that it favours the people. In reality, zoning favours only the political class. It reduces the governorship to the highest bidder: the man with the deepest pockets and the right “zone.” Politicians plan for their survival before elections and their profit afterwards. The people? They remain trapped in poverty, insecurity, and bad governance.
Owerri’s obsession with “our turn” has blinded it to the bigger truth. We have become so petty that we celebrate simply because “our person” is in power, even as our communities collapse. We forget that in 2023, while Owerri argued equity, its hospitals were understaffed, its youths fled abroad, and its businesses died under multiple taxation. The Chatter of Equity has become political cocaine — a narcotic that numbs the masses while politicians feast.
Why Imolites Need A Change
The truth is simple: numbers don’t lie, but politicians do. The data shows Orlu will always dominate if the game remains zoning and population arithmetic. Owerri will always be lured, used, and discarded. Okigwe will always beg for scraps. The only way out is to change the narrative.
And while we debate equity, the security crisis in Imo has been silenced into the background. Whoever speaks risks being branded an enemy of power. Communities across Owerri, Orlu, and Okigwe zones have been displaced, families fleeing their homes under the threat of gunmen and violence. Instead of finding solutions to insecurity, our leaders serve us endless chatter of equity — a placebo that satisfies their hunger for power and public funds while our people bleed in silence.
This is why Imo needs a new awakening. Owerri zone must embrace the truth and find a different way to pursue power — one that does not rely on recycled slogans and failed organizations. And the entire state must wake up and flee from the repackaged nonsense the political class keeps feeding us. Competence, credibility, and genuine leadership are the only true equity. Until then, Owerri will keep craving, Orlu will keep ruling, Okigwe will keep begging, and Imo will keep bleeding.
Chinedu Hardy Nwadike is a journalist, storyteller, media entrepreneur and founder of OtownGist Media 0p& Creative Hub, writes from Owerri.
