By Clement ChukwuemekaIn the Okigwe North federal constituency, the story of Prince Chikwem Onuoha is one that never fails to excite. Since coming to political limelight between 2007 and 2011 while serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to the then governor, Ikedi Ohakim, his trajectory has been that of accessibility and an unyielding passion for the development of the good people of Okigwe zone as a whole.
It didn’t stop there. In no time, the name Chikwem – just “Chikwem”, no sobriquets, no titles no annotations – because a household name across the entire Imo state. Chikwem was noticeably the closest aide to Governor Ohakim but quite unlike what happened both in previous and subsequent administrations, he never grew pig headed over it. He was, infact, seen by many as the main PR man of the administration on account of his level headedness and easy accessibility to members of the public who sought for one favour or the other from his boss.
Towards the tail end of that administration, his people in Okigwe North federal constituency – recognizing his uncommon contributions to the development of the area even before he took up public office – urged him to run for the area’s House of Representatives seat. Subsequently, he resigned from his position as Deputy Chief of Staff, ran for the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and clinched its ticket.
On the April 9, 2011, the day of the National Assembly elections held he was abducted by gun-totting men while election was going on and taken to the house of a governorship candidate from the area. (names withheld) where he was held until the security agents in the state came to his rescue. While in the illegal detention, however, Chikwem was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with 27,734 votes to beat his closet rival, Mr. Matthew Omegara, of the Action Congress of Nigeria, who polled 22,265 votes. For reasons that are not of material importance to this essay, however, his victory was later upturned in favour of Omegara.
In 2019, Prince Onuoha, also known by the nickname, Omeiheukwu (He That Does Great Things), again ran for the Okigwe North federal constituency seat on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but lost, again under controversial circumstances. Then in the following year, 2020, Chikwem went for the big thing – in keeping with his popularly known nickname.
He ran for the bye-election for the Imo North senate seat after an overwhelming endorsement by the youths of Okigwe zone. But owing to the vested interest of some powerful elements both within and outside the state, those in charge of the primary election in the APC – on which platform he ran – refused to follow due process.
At the end of the election, INEC declared APC the winner but without indicating the name of the candidate that won. Thus ensued a series of legal rigmarole that got up to the Supreme court, at the end of which Mr. Frank Ibezim, then widely believed to be the preferred candidate of some big wigs in the party, was cleared for the position.
Then came 2023 when the repressible Chikwem again ran for the Okigwe North federal constituency seat on the platform of the Labour Party. For that contest, he had to contend with two other strong candidates namely, Miriam Onuoha of the APC and Obinna Onwubuariri of the PDP.
In a widely publicized rating of the candidates, a leading newspaper described Chief Chikwem Onuoha thus: “popularly known as Omeiheukwu, Onuoha is believed to have the most effective and deeply rooted political structure in the whole of Okigwe North federal constituency presently. Believed to have won the 2011 and 2019 federal constituency elections in the area, Onuoha is a former Deputy Chief of Staff to a former governor of Imo state, …, a position he used to effectively impact on the people of the federal constituency”.
However, that election was mirred in controversy and even though his main rival, Hon. Mirian Onuoha of the APC, was declared winner by INEC, Chikwem rejected the result because of irregularities. He alleged that the declaration was done in error and did not reflect the will of the people while accusing the electoral body of accepting results from six wards where the police said elections did not hold.
Ms Onuoha, however, had her way but let’s fast forward to 2026, when the two Onuohas are again squaring for the ticket of the APC.
In the countdown to the election, Chikwem has been profiled as the preferred choice for the Okigwe North federal constituency seat, on account of his “grassroots political engagement and outstanding philanthropic contributions coupled with and a reputation rooted in service, accessibility and sustained community development”.
His candidacy is also being favoured because of his “consistent involvement in initiatives that directly impact the lives of the people.” Chikwem’s anticipated candidacy has expanded exponentially in the last couple of weeks, drawing endorsements from a wide range a stakeholders especially the youths.
For his teeming supporters and endorsers, the time is now for Chikwem, the dogged, irrepressible, amiable grassroots mobilizer and avowed disciple of the Shared Prosperity administration of His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
Chikwem brings into politics a wealth of experience from the corporate landscape where he has also distinguished himself as an entrepreneur. He is a big player in the oil services sub-sector. He is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Earthoil Petroleum Services Limited. He is also the executive chairman of Rand Properties Limited, a real estate company established in 2006. He is the executive chairman, Fitquick Limited, a company that specializes in printing, stationary, health and safety equipment as well as armoured personnel carriers.
Back home in his native Okigwe zone, he is a founding member of Okigwe Political Forum and founding member of Osu Leadership Forum (OLF) His services to the state include member, board of the Imo State Environmental Transportation Commission ENTRACO, member, Imo state trade delegation to China (2008); federal delegate, 11th conference on federalism, India (2010), delegate, Southern Africa-Nigeria trade relations (2008) among others.
Mr Chukwueke writes from Isiala Mbano, Imo State
