By Marx Egbeyiugo
I must say, Public debates, when conducted in good faith, help a society refine its political choices.
However, when writers twist facts, disguise bias as analysis, and parade selective morality as intellectual depth, then such interventions become dangerous to public enlightenment.
The so-called “response” by one Okechukwu Ajoku to Ezeaku Obodo’s article on zoning and the political future of Imo State is a perfect example of this deliberate distortion.
His write-up, though dressed in borrowed quotes and rhetorical polish, collapses under the weight of its hypocrisy and shallow reasoning.
Ajoku accuses Obodo of “political marketing” while doing exactly the same for his preferred cause, charter of iniquity and, by extension, a veiled campaign for an Owerri-zone governorship in 2027.
Let’s be clear: political commentary is not a crime. Every writer advances a perspective. The difference, however, lies in intellectual honesty. Ajoku hides his bias under moral posturing, pretending to speak for “truth” and “fairness,” when in reality, his piece is nothing more than a political sales pitch for owerri entitlement mentality
He quotes Barack Obama, Mandela, and others, but ideas are not validated by famous names—they are validated by facts.
Empty moral sermons cannot substitute for sound logic. If persuasion is a sin, then Ajoku has committed the same one he condemns.
Ajoku’s attempt to present zoning as a “democratic instrument” is not only misleading but intellectually lazy.
Democracy thrives on merit, participation, and performance—not on the rotation of mediocrity among zones.
Zoning is a political convenience, not a constitutional right. It breeds complacency, kills competition, and rewards identity over capacity.
If zoning truly guaranteed equity and performance, Imo would have been a model of development by now, though our hardworking governor Uzodinma is doing wonderfully well at the moment.
So when Ajoku glorifies zoning as a “stabilizer,” he confuses equality of opportunity with entitlement to power. Democracy means everyone can contest, not that power must be shared like family inheritance.
If his only evidence is to repeat clichés about “failed roads” and “inactive local governments,” then his argument is not analysis—it’s recycled bitterness.
Governance is not about perfection; it’s about measurable progress. And by any objective standard, the last few years have recorded more tangible projects than the decade before them.
Those who close their eyes to progress simply because it did not come from their zone reveal not principle—but prejudice.
The Obsession with Owerri Zone: Entitlement Disguised as Equity. Ajoku’s greatest flaw is his obsession with painting Owerri Zone as a perpetual victim. Let’s correct this distortion: Imo State was created for all Imolites, not for rotational sympathy.
No zone is cursed with eternal exclusion; rather, political opportunity must be earned, not donated.
Owerri Zone has produced some of the state’s most influential political figures and had ample opportunity to build alliances and seize power. Blaming other zones for strategic failure is not justice it’s political blackmail.
True equity will come not from emotional appeals but from competence, structure, and the will of the people.
You do not rewrite democracy to favour your turn; you win elections through strategy and vision.
Ajoku’s half-hearted praise of Dr. Ikedi Ohakim followed by veiled attacks only exposes his bad faith.
Yes, Ohakim had challengesas every leader does—but history still records him as one of the few governors with vision, intellect, and organized governance in Imo’s history.
He initiated the Clean and Green policy, advanced environmental reforms, and pursued infrastructural renewal at a time when governance in Imo was drifting aimlessly.
To dismiss all that as “curated nostalgia” is cheap propaganda from those whose only legacy is to complain without contribution.
The truth is simple: Ohakim remains relevant today because his performance stands tall against many who came after him. (Cavaet: I’m not his staunch supporter for now)
Enough of Intellectual Hypocrisy. Ajoku’s piece, for all its flowery grammar, is nothing but political sentimentalism draped in borrowed wisdom. His attempt to moralize zoning while discrediting merit and rewriting history must be exposed for what it is, zoning propaganda.
Imo State needs visionary leadership, not emotional zoning; competence, not compensation; merit, not manipulation.
The people of Imo are wiser now. They will not be swayed by eloquent “tribalism”or newspaper philosophy.
2027 will not be about where a man comes from—it will be about what he can deliver.
History will not remember those who shouted “it’s our turn.” It will remember those who built, transformed, and united Imo State.
