By Chimezie Ofurum
When a couple of months ago reports came that a group of Imo indigenes resident in faraway Canada had proclaimed Chief Charles Orie, immediate past managing director of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), their choice for the office of the governor in 2027, many dismissed it as a mere gimmickry by those who do not understand a thing about the political situation at home. . But before anybody could say, “Charles Orie”, another group of Imolites residing in France re-enacted the Canada scenario. The group again proclaimed Chief Orie as their choice candidate for those angling to succeed the incumbent governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
These Diasporians were dismissed as those who are ignorant of the current fantasy at home known as Charter of Equity which some have interpreted to mean that indigenes of Orlu zone are prohibited from even aspiring to become governor until both Okigwe and Owerri zones have leveled up with the twenty (24) years Orlu has done out of a total of twenty eight (28) by 2027.
But the joker there is that the Imo diasporans in Europe and America are made up of people from all the three zones. It is even said that the arrowheads of the Charles Orie governorship project are from Owerri zone, their argument being that even though Chief Orie is geo-politically from Orlu zone, the area he comes from, Ohaji, has a cultural affinity with the people of Owerri zone. That apart, the idea of zoning is alien to majority of the diasporians most of who have lived a greater part of their lives in the West – some were born there – where there is nothing like zoning of political offices.
So much for the Diasporians. Back home, it is not a hidden matter that a majority of the Orlu elite – political, academic, business, religious etc – are not enamored by the idea that the Imo Charter of Equity means the exclusion of their people from running for the office of the governor of Imo state after Uzodimma in 2027/2028. As a matter of fact, a sitting senator from the zone, a former governorship aspirant and some current political office holders from the zone are believed to be warming up for the race of who succeeds Uzodimma.
Orlu zones indigenes are not alone in this. There are also quite a good number of indigenes of both Owerri and Okigwe zones who believe that Orlu zone should not be excluded from participating in the race towards 2027, the fact that it has ruled for twenty four out of twenty eight years notwithstanding. Here, the argument is that apart from that Orlu zone indigenes have the constitutional right to vie in 2027, it is not their making that their zone has dominated power; and were even encouraged by leaders of Owerri zone to cling power.
In the face of this, the posturing of some leaders of Owerri zone does not help matters. Some have proceeded as if the much talked about Charter of Equity means nothing else than that the next governor of Imo state MUST come from Owerri. In pushing this point of view, some elements from Owerri zone employ derogatory language and resorting to out rightly insulting anybody who does not agree with their own point of view.
Down Okigwe, the quest of the good people of the zone to be allowed to do another four years, beginning from 2027, in order to complete a turn of eight years which was cut short in 2011, has reached a crescendo. Not surprisingly, Okigwe have quite a number of listening ears in Owerri zone that are sympathetic to its case. Ditto for Orlu zone. As a matter of fact, it is no longer a hiding matter that as far as many indigenes of Orlu zone are concerned, if the office of the Imo state governor must leave Orlu in 2027, then it must go to Okigwe.
In pushing their argument for an Owerri zone governor in 2027, some of the arrowhead of the project claimed that Governor Uzodimma had in 2023, while canvassing for votes from their area, promised to hand over to a fellow from Owerri zone, a claim that has infuriated so many people from all parts of the state after it was found to be utter falsehood. Even though Governor Uzodimma in his characteristic nature restrained himself from saying anything about that false claim, which some, indeed, described as a blackmail, an opportunity provided itself that made the whole world know that the governor never made any such promise.
That was during a meeting between him and stakeholders from Owerri zone on March 10, 2025 at the seat of the Imo state government. The meeting, according the governor himself, followed a request by a group of Owerri politicians which goes by the appellation Imo Harmony Project (IHP), and which claims to be the champion of the Owerri governorship project, to have an audience with him. The governor told the gathering at the Sam Mbakwe Hall that when, upon inquiry, he discovered that the IHP was not inclusive of several critical political leaders in Owerri zone, he decided to invite all stakeholders in the zone to come and listen to what the IHP had for him.
It is needless to go into details of what happened at the meeting since it was widely reported but what many people failed to realize was that the governor seized the opportunity offered by that meeting to make it clear that he never promised to hand over to Owerri zone.
Midway to his speech after the leaders of the IHP had made their presentations to the effect that Owerri zone deserved to produce his successor, Governor Uzodimma in a manner that was quite uncharacteristic of him said “… Owu Turn Owerri, Owu Turn Owerri (It Is Owerri zone’s Turn, It Is Owerri zone’s Turn) Power is Not given Turn By Turn”. He said the person that will succeed him will be a person who is “strong” and can “fight for the interest of the people”; and went ahead to warn that nobody should heat up the polity so as not to distract him because he still has about three years to serve the people of Imo
state.
Some people might have decided to pretend not to have heard the governor but his poetic utterances was unmistaken in the message he delivered. What the governor meant was that one, he was tired of hearing this “it is Owerri zone turn” thing and two, that he will hand over to a person who is strong and capable of delivering irrespective of where (the zone) he – if you like she – comes from
To be sure, the Imo Charter of Equity is well intended but the way some people, especially from Owerri zone, have gone about it makes it look as if it will compound the political problem in the state rather than provide a solution. To avoid that, many well-meaning Imolites have argued that(28) by 2027 both Owerri and Okigwe should go into a meaningful dialogue but initially some Owerri leaders sounded reluctant, with a posturing that a governor of Owerri zone extraction in 2027 has become a fait accompli. But as things stand today, it is now too late to propose a dialogue between only Okigwe and Owerri zones. Even though Orlu zone initially appeared shy, it is no longer in doubt that any talk about Imo 2027 must essentially involve Orlu, not just for the purpose of getting its endorsement for either Okigwe or Owerri zone but also to explain why it should be singularly marked out for exclusion from vying for the converted office in 2027.
As noted earlier, a few credible sons of Orlu zone already have their eyes on that seat but for obvious reason have kept it to themselves. But now Chief Charles Orie have change the scenario. Chief Orie has not come up openly to declare that he will be running for governor in 2027 – in keeping with the rules – but the movements around him have altered the equation and calculation and has redefined the language in which the so-called Charter of Equity has been discussed in the last one year or so. It would have been a costly mistake if Charter of Equity was allowed to be only a matter for Owerri and Okigwe zones because that would have meant excluding a zone that has the highest populations of voters from taking part in determining who governs the state. Chief Charles Orie, popularly known among his numerous friends as Akuatuegwu, has a huge following in both Okigwe and Owerri zones. He is not a regular politician but he has empowered more people in all the three zones than many of those who have held public offices for years.
Equity or no equity, if a ballot is conducted today between Chief Orie and any of those making a song and dance of Charter of Equity, it should be anybody’s guess what the result will be. Governor Uzodimma could not have had any particular fellow in mind when he handed over his template mentioned above, but if that is anything to go by, then Charles Orie fits in perfectly: Strong, compassionate, not clannish and capable and capable of working for the interest of the people. As they say, politics does not adhere to the rules of mathematical precision. One plus one is not always equal to two but as far as the 2027 Imo governorship race is concerned, Chief Charles Orie is one fellow to watch.
Ofurum wrote from Inyishi, Ikeduru, LGA
