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), as reported by THE SUN.
In an interview, Mbamara criticized Chief Amadi, claiming that he has no moral right to lead the Owerri Zone due to his betrayal in 2015. He recounted how the people of Owerri Zone had trusted and supported Amadi’s group, OZOPOLF, to ensure the return of power to their zone, only for Amadi to abandon Emeka Ihedioha at the last minute and ally with Rochas Okorocha over a minor disagreement.
In his words: “Chief Amadi has no moral claim to the leadership of Owerri Zone because he betrayed us in 2015. Owerri Zone people believed him and rallied round the group he claimed to lead, OZOPOLF, in order to ensure the return of power to Owerri zone. But what did he do?
“Just in the last minute, he abandoned Emeka Ihedioha and went into alliance with Rochas Okorocha. And what was his reason? A slight disagreement with Ihedioha. That was why he mortgaged the destiny of the entire zone. On this matter of governorship in 2027, nobody will take the likes of Chief Amadi seriously. But of course, his OZOPOLF is now a yesterday organization.”
Mbamara argued that because of this betrayal, no one would take Chief Amadi seriously regarding the 2027 governorship, and asserted that OZOPOLF is now a defunct organization. He pointed out that the lack of unity among Owerri Zone leaders is evidenced by the existence of multiple groups, such as Captain Iheanacho’s Imo Harmony Project, Willie Amadi’s Trinity OPOCA, and Emmanuel Okwu’s OZAC, all claiming to champion the Owerri governorship project. This fragmentation, he suggested, indicates that OZOPOLF is no longer considered a serious entity.
Mbamara shared his personal involvement in the founding of OZOPOLF, stating that he named the organization at the residence of Barr. Kingsley Ononuju and hosted its subsequent meeting. However, he lamented that the group had been used by Amadi to negotiate personal favors rather than serving the collective interest of the Owerri Zone.