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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Ahead of the 2019 governorship polls in the state, Imo Equity Movement being spearheaded by Dr. Uzoma Obiyo, a business mogul said it was the turn of the Owerri senatorial zone to produce the next governor of the state.
This was even as Uche Onyeagocha, former member of the House of Representatives and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in the state has warned that any political party that failed to give its gubernatorial ticket in 2019 will not get the support of the people of Owerri zone.
Dr. Obiyo who spoke at the inaugural meeting of the movement at his country home in Ugiri-Ike, Ikeduru council area, noted that in spite of the fact that Owerri zone paraded men and women who were eminently qualified to man the government, the zone has remained the political weeping child of Imo having only governed the state for just one year and 10 months.
“The message is simple and clear because it is going to the turn of Owerri zone to produce the next governor of the state in 2019 and that is not negotiable. The zone has men and women with the capacity to govern the state and so this movement is ready to drive this message home which is for equity and fairness.
“If you take a look at the governance of the state, you will discover that Chief Sam Mbakwe from Okigwe zone and the first executive governor of the state governed for four years and three months and Chief Ikedi Ohakim also from Okigwe had also ruled for four years between 2007 and 2011. Now, Chief Achike Udenwa from Orlu zone was there for eight years between 1999 and 2007 and again Chief Rochas Okorocha from the same Orlu zone will be completing his eight years in 2019. But the Owerri zone had only held the office during the time of Chief Evans Enwerem for only one year and 10 months. So, we are saying that for equity and fairness, it the turn of Owerri zone in 2019 and in this movement we have people from Orlu and Okigwe zones.”
Speaking in the same vein, Onyeagocha pointed out that the issue of zoning the next governorship of the state to Owerri Zone was not negotiable and warned that any of the political parties that failed to pick its gubernatorial candidate from the zone would certainly lose the election.
“The last time a person from the Owerri zone emerged as a governor of the state was in 1992, which was 25 years ago in the person of late Chief Evans Enwerem who only spent just one year and ten months. Anybody supporting a candidate from Okigwe or Orlu will not succeed because the people of Orlu and Okigwe already know that it is the turn of Owerri Zone and I want to warn that any of the political party that fails to pick its gubernatorial candidate from Owerri zone has already failed because they will never get the support of the people of the zone.”
The former federal lawmaker dismissed the statement in some quarters that governorship position would no longer be zoned.
“Some people are now saying that there would be no more zoning of the governorship position in the state, that it would now be on merit; even at that, each of the nine local governments in the zone have enough qualified persons, both men and women, who have distinguished themselves in the their fields of endeavour…”
But those who are saying that no more zoning have not told us why the governor, his deputy or the speaker of the House of Assembly are not from the same zone. But any party that refuses to pick its governorship from Owerri zone, whether it is APC or PDP or whatever party have already failed that is our simple message.”
