The Bring Back Ohakim (BBO 2027) Organization has declared that His Excellency, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, former Governor of Imo State, will contest the 2027 Imo State Governorship Election, insisting that no political calculation can legitimately prevent him from offering himself once again for public service.
The declaration was made during a gathering of Team Ohakim and various allied support groups at the EWAYI Civic Centre, Owerri, where leaders, coordinators and supporters from across the state and the diaspora reaffirmed their commitment to the Ohakim 2027 project.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of BBO 2027, Capt. Bishop C. Johnson, Captain, United States Army (Retired), said the organization was convinced that equity, justice and good conscience favour Okigwe Zone and that Dr. Ohakim remains uniquely positioned to give practical meaning to those principles.
According to him, Dr. Ohakim occupies a distinctive position in Imo’s political history because, having served only one term as governor, he is constitutionally entitled to seek another term. The BBO 2027 leadership therefore argues that allowing him the opportunity to complete the tenure that began under the Okigwe Zone’s rotational expectation would represent not merely a political choice, but an important step toward restoring confidence in the principle of equity.
The organization also presented a two-volume publication running into more than 3,000 pages, containing what it described as evidence of its extensive mobilization and advocacy efforts.
At the centre of that effort, BBO 2027 says, is a petition bearing more than 100,000 signatures of Imolites at home and in the diaspora, calling on Dr. Ohakim to step forward, contest the 2027 governorship election and return to public service.
For the organization, the petition represents more than numbers. It is presented as an expression of popular sentiment from citizens who believe that the former governor’s work remains unfinished and that his experience, administrative capacity and vision are still relevant to the future of Imo State.
The BBO 2027 campaign is built substantially around Dr. Ohakim’s New Face of Imo agenda, which the organization describes as an ambitious attempt to reposition the state through institutional reform, infrastructure development, environmental renewal, job creation and purposeful administration.
The organization maintains that the question before Imolites is bigger than personalities or political calculations. It is about experience, continuity, equity and the kind of leadership the people believe can move the state forward.
In barely a year, BBO 2027 says it has established organizational structures across the three senatorial zones, 27 local government areas and hundreds of electoral wards.
It has also brought together numerous independent support groups under the broader Team Ohakim umbrella, creating a coalition that the organization says is united by the principles of justice, equity and good governance.
Its guiding philosophy is encapsulated in three simple principles: Project, Promote and Protect—projecting Dr. Ohakim’s vision, promoting his achievements and protecting his legacy.
The organization says it intends to continue its grassroots engagement peacefully and democratically, taking its message into communities, wards, polling units and households across Imo State.
The occasion also provided an opportunity for Capt. Johnson to recognize members of the BBO 2027 leadership and the many individuals whose contributions have sustained the organization’s growth.
He acknowledged members of the Strategic Leadership Council and Board of Trustees, the State Executive Committee, zonal and local government coordinators, ward executives, allied support groups and the organization’s growing diaspora network.
Particular recognition was given to leaders responsible for administration, women mobilization, media and publicity, grassroots mobilization, ICT and digital media, security and intelligence, logistics, community and stakeholder relations, and inter-party affairs.
The Director General also expressed appreciation to the organization’s coordinators in Europe, the United States and Canada for extending the BBO 2027 message beyond Nigeria.
The gathering was also marked by a solemn tribute to the late Chief Ndaa Paddy Obinna, described by the organization as a trusted adviser, patriot, courageous advocate for justice and equity, and a father figure whose counsel enriched the cause.
Participants observed a minute of silence in his honour.
Capt. Johnson also called for prayers for Chief Adolphus Obi, the BBO 2027 Onuimo Local Government Coordinator and Chairman of the Council of Local Government Coordinators, who recently underwent surgery in New Delhi, India.
As the political conversation surrounding 2027 gathers momentum, BBO 2027 says its campaign will remain focused on peaceful democratic engagement, grassroots organization and advocacy for what it describes as the naturally evolving Imo Charter of Equity.
The organization believes that Dr. Ohakim’s experience, record and constitutional eligibility make him a compelling candidate for the 2027 governorship contest and is calling on him to heed what it describes as the growing demand from Imolites to return to service.
For BBO 2027, the campaign is ultimately about more than one individual. It is about the belief that justice must be seen to be done, equity must be respected, and unfinished work deserves an opportunity for completion.
With its expanding grassroots structures, growing coalition of support groups and more than 100,000 petition signatures, the organization says it is prepared to take its message to every corner of Imo State and to the Imo community across the world.
The message from BBO 2027 is therefore clear: Dr. Ikedi Ohakim should step forward, contest in 2027 and give Imolites the opportunity to decide his political future at the ballot box.
Project. Promote. Protect.
Justice. Equity. Continuity.
BBO 2027.
