—A factual response to the interview granted by Dr. Sam Amadi to Sun Newspapers, by Chief (Sir) Emmanuel Okwudiri Mbah, PhD, writing from Azaraubo, Emekuku, Owerri North L.G.A., Imo State.
As Imo State counts down to 2027, the political space in the State is heating up with lofty visions, stirring rhetoric, and renewed calls for transformational leadership. This is a welcome development in any democracy. But for a state as battered by insecurity, economic stagnation, and broken trust as Imo, we must ask a harder question: Is eloquence enough, or does governance require more than rhetoric?
As I pointed out in my last article, Beyond the Backlash: A reasoned look at Ikedi Ohakim’s legacy and relevance for 2027, which was a response to Nze James Chinonyerem fabrications on this matter, which by the way, he has long apologised for:
“In a state where perception has often been weaponised, Ohakim remains one of the few leaders whose record outlives the rumours.”
This is not nostalgia, it is a fact. And facts, in this critical moment, must guide our choices more than noise
In recent conversations, some have proposed sweeping reform, zero-tolerance for corruption, and a break from “the past.” All noble ideals. Yet, even the most eloquent speech cannot substitute for the hard-earned lessons of governance. We’ve seen this movie before.
This is a road Imo State knows too well, in 2011, a leader came on a wave of populist excitement and high expectations. He promised free education, rapid transformation, and an end to business-as-usual politics. But the result was institutional disarray, widespread asset conversion, and administrative collapse. Imo paid dearly for that experiment.
Take away, good intentions and charismatic rhetoric are not enough. Leadership without structured plan, continuity, and respect for process can turn hope into heartbreak.
Experience Is Not the Enemy of Change
It is one thing to propose what should be done. It is another to know how to do it. Change is necessary, but it must be guided by those who understand its weight. Governance, especially in stormy times, requires not just bright ideas but deep experience, calm wisdom, and the scars of past service.
In the words of our forefathers, “I chipụta ede a dighị ka ịkụ ya” – “Bringing out the cocoyam is not the same as planting it.” In other words, talking about development is not the same as planting and nurturing it. Imo has seen real intentional governance before, not perfect, but purposeful.
Under a previous administration widely acclaimed for stability and reform:
- The executive and legislature enjoyed unprecedented harmony, leading to timely, people-centred legislation.
- Lawmakers and public officials were sent abroad for government-sponsored training, introducing global best practices in governance and ethics.
- The Imo Green Initiative was launched to promote environmental renewal, youth employment, and climate consciousness long before these became national conversations.
- IRROMA (Imo Rural Roads Maintenance Agency) restored access to hundreds of rural communities, directly improving market access and social mobility.
- Youth empowerment took center stage, with targeted investments in entrepreneurship, job creation, and community service.
These were not pronouncements or slogans. They were measurable policies. Real change is not declared; it is delivered.
In a widely circulated interview, recently, a respected policy thinker from Imo described his mission for 2027 as “radical reconstruction.” He praised equity, yet subordinated it to moral gatekeeping. He warned against corruption, yet offered no direct record of governance. But the question remains: Can one build what one has never managed? Governance is not a thesis; it is a trust.
Let’s Not Demonise the Past to Romance the Future
As an elder who grew up and resides in Owerri, as I move around the city, I am pained by the sight of projects abandoned midstream roads blocked off, housing projects left in shell state, overtaken by weeds. These were not failed ideas; they were discarded solely for political reasons. That is not reform. That is revenge by other means.
This isn’t just an aesthetic failure—it’s a betrayal of the public trust. It reflects a governance culture that sees the past as something to be wiped out rather than built upon. That mindset is dangerous.
Government must be a continuum, not a competition for erasure. Roads, hospitals, schools, and environmental programs are funded by taxpayers. When each government begins afresh by discarding what came before, it is the people who suffer.
That is why the call to “make Imo great again” rings hollow if it begins by tearing down what others have done. Real change requires consolidation, continuity, and course correction—not scorched-earth politics.
Equity Must Not Become a Weapon
The call for a governor of Owerri zone extraction is valid and supported by many, including voices that have committed to a peaceful transition in that direction by 2031. But it is important to remember that equity is like a calabash, must be balanced on all sides. Just as Owerri cries for inclusion, so too does Okigwe.
By 2027, Orlu would have governed Imo State for a cumulative 24 years, from 1999. Okigwe? Only one term of four years. Owerri? Just a little over seven months, during which a governor from the zone held office before the Supreme Court overturned the result in early 2020. That fleeting episode, while historic, never matured into a full term of service.
Yet in today’s equity conversation, one gets the subtle feeling that Okigwe is treated like the child carried into a new marriage, acknowledged, yet never truly counted. Everyone agrees it belongs, yet it’s rarely considered in the sharing of inheritance.
This must change. True equity demands a full reckoning of injustice across all zones, not a selective application that favours one aggrieved region while silencing another.
A short transitional term to complete Okigwe’s rightful slot, followed by a committed power shift to Owerri, is not a disruption of equity, it is a restoration of justice and balance. A path that respects all three zones as co-equal stakeholders in the destiny of Imo State.
Time for Governance is Now
Imo cannot afford another season of trial and error, especially not at this critical time. It needs healing. The State needs healing. We need a bridge not just between zones, but between eras, generations, and styles of leadership.
That bridge must be built by someone who has been tested, and who bears no grudges from the past.
This moment demands grounded wisdom, not lofty talks. Not freshness for freshness sake, but clarity backed by competence. The future belongs to visionaries. But only those who know where the stones are buried can walk through the river without sinking.
As 2027 draws closer, let us not gamble with our pain. Let’s move from rhetoric to reality. Let us seek leadership, not to dazzles, but that delivers. Let us choose hope, but anchor it in a track record Let us demand vision, but grounded in experience.
