In an interview, David Mbamara, a retired captain of the Nigerian Army who ran for the office of the Governor of Imo State in 2023 on the Labour Party platform, recently co-founded the Owerri Zone Peoples Mandate (OZPM).He addressed concerns regarding the perceived lack of remorse from some individuals in the Orlu Zone over the longstanding power imbalance in the state. He pointed to the group OPOCA, led by Rex Anunobi, which many people believe engages in excessive grandstanding, as reported by THE SUN.
Mbamara clarified that he is not a spokesman for OPOCA but stated that no one shows remorse for holding or acquiring power. He compared this to the lack of remorse shown by those who plot successful military coups, despite their illegality.
He acknowledged that even after monopolizing power for 24 years, the Orlu zone could still legitimately seek the governorship in 2027 after Uzodimma's term. If they choose to run, Mbamara questioned what the Owerri Zone could do aside from possibly complaining on social media.
He argued that to achieve something more enduring for the state, it is necessary to build alliances and make sacrifices. However, he noted that some individuals are unwilling to engage in discussions or make compromises.
Mbamara also questioned how the Orlu zone maintained power for 24 years, suggesting that it was people from the Owerri Zone who supported Okorocha's gubernatorial bid in 2011 after Udenwa's eight-year term. He concluded that if any zone should show remorse, it is the Owerri zone, as some of its members lied against an innocent individual to remove him from office, and now that the truth has emerged, it is they who should be remorseful.
In his Words: “The truth, which you and I know, is that even after monopolising power for 24 years, Orlu zone can still legitimately seek to run for the office of governor in 2027 after Uzodimma. If they decide to run, what will Owerri Zone do, except perhaps to go to the social media and begin complaining? That is why some of us are asking that we should make friends through making sacrifices so that the state as a whole can achieve something more enduring. But some of us say no.
“They do not want to go into discussion with anybody. Is that proper? In any case, how did Orlu zone hold power for 24 years? As I alluded to earlier, is it not people in Owerri Zone that sold the ticket to Okorocha in 2011 to run for governor after Udenwa had done eight years? If there is any zone that should show remorse, it is Owerri zone. Some of our people told lies against an innocent fellow in order to see him out of the office. Now that it turned out that they lied, it is they that should show remorse.”