Imo charter of equity has become source of division — Ohakim

…Calls for Okigwe Zone to complete truncated eight-year tenure in 2027 By Chidi Nkwopara OWERRI — Former Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, has lamented that the state’s Charter of Equity, designed to promote political stability and power rotation, has become a source of division rather than unity. Ohakim spoke at the weekend while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Isi-Mbano, held at St.

Paul’s Church, Umuduru, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of the state. In his address titled, “The Imo Charter of Equity: Anatomy of a Broken Covenant, the Moral Wound and a Framework for Restorative Justice,” the former governor revisited the political developments surrounding the 2011 governorship election crisis. He linked his personal experience to what he described as unresolved injustice in the current debate over power rotation among the state’s three senatorial zones.

Ohakim warned that the Charter of Equity could undermine political stability if it lacked justice, transparency and broad-based acceptance. “A Charter without justice, transparency and broad-based acceptance could become a source of division rather than an instrument of political stability,” he said. He described the prevailing situation in the state as a triple dilemma involving a divisive political instrument, a potential threat to peace and unity, and an avenue for political manipulation.

The former governor called for Okigwe Senatorial Zone to be given four years in 2027 to complete what he described as its truncated eight-year governorship entitlement. He argued that the zone’s demand should not be treated merely as a contest for political advantage but as a matter of historical restitution and restorative justice. According to him, Okigwe suffered political injustice in 2011 when its son, who emerged through the electoral process in 2007, was prevented from completing the expected eight-year tenure.

Ohakim maintained that other qualified candidates from the zone could have succeeded him in 2011 if there were legitimate reasons not to support his second-term ambition. He further argued that the opportunities presented by the 2015 and 2019 governorship elections to restore the original power-sharing understanding were missed. With the 2027 election approaching, he said Imo State had another opportunity to address the historical grievance.

“With 2027 approaching, the state has another opportunity to address the historical grievance. “Four years to complete a truncated term, four years to wipe the tears of a people whose son carried the cross of shame for the sake of peace, should be considered reasonable,” he said. Ohakim added that allowing Okigwe Zone another four years would help address the political grievance arising from the 2011 developments and provide a foundation for a more credible and sustainable Charter of Equity.

“We destroyed the bridge, and now we are arguing about how to cross the river,” he lamented. He also said his intervention was not motivated by a personal ambition to return to office but by a desire for reconciliation and healing in the state. “I did not come to this Synod to reclaim a crown. I came to beg for healing, for myself, for Okigwe, and for Imo as a whole.

“Logically, we cannot build equity on iniquity. We cannot preach peace while we bury justice. If we must move forward, we must first look backward, not in vengeance, but in truth,” he said. The former governor urged political leaders in the state to acknowledge Okigwe Zone’s grievances and approach the 2027 governorship contest with a commitment to fairness, reconciliation and justice.

He also argued that power rotation among the state’s three senatorial zones was neither a recent political invention nor an arrangement conceived in 2023.