Ahead of the off cycle governorship election in Imo state in 2027, politicians from the Okigwe Zone of the state have moved to upstage their counterparts from the Owerri zone by calling on them to support their candidacy for the election.

They made the demand during a meeting held at the residence of His Royal Majesty Eze Oliver Ohanweh at Isiala Mbano LGA, which was attended by former governor of the state, Chief Ikedi Ohakim and Senator Patrick Ndubueze, who is currently representing the zone in the Senate as well as other political stakeholders.

At the meeting, the Okigwe zone said that equity and fairness demand that they produce the next governor of the state come 2027, arguing that their tenure was truncated with the emergence of Governor Rochas Okorocha from the Orlu Zone which had already served eight years tenure after the administration of Achike Udenwa, also from the Orlu zone.

Addressing the gathering, Eze Ohanweh, thanked the people of the zone for the massive support given to Governor Hope Uzodinma during the just concluded governorship election in the state maintaining that the zone produced the largest number of votes for the governor after Orlu zone.

He remarked that the gathering became necessary following the recent development as regards to communique and comments by some groups and individuals from other zones which he said tended to suggest that Okigwe Zone was no longer relevant in the political reality of the state.

In his speech, a political stalwart, Chief Tony Chukwu, harped on the importance of a governor of a state as he reminded the zone that the present Governor Uzodinma remained the gateway through which the zone’s ambition to occupy the number one seat of the state can be actualized.

Also speaking, Senator Patrick Ndubueze appealed to all well-meaning indigenes of Okigwe Zone to throw their weight behind the quest for an Imo governor of Okigwe extraction in 2027.

It could be recalled that since the return to constitutional democracy in 1999, the Orlu zone where the incumbent governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma comes from has produced three governors, al running two terms, Okigwe zone only had one term while Owerri zone is yet to produce a governor after the election of Emeka Ihedioha was annulled by the court.