By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

The battle for Imo 2027 governorship election is brewing, as the Imo West Senatorial District Political highest decision making body, called Orlu Political Consultative Assembly ,OPOCA, on Thursday warned the former Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, to stop immediately with his arrangement on setting up of campaign structure for 2027 Imo governorship or get ready to contend with OPOCA in days ahead.

The National Coordinator and Secretary of OPOCA, Rex Anunobi and Esom Obodo Obodo, respectively stated this to newsmen in Owerri, while reacting to the setting up of Imo Harmony Project to actualize the governorship ambition of Imo East Senatorial zone led by Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho.

The worry of the OPOCA group was that the Imo harmony project was to heat up the Imo polity ahead of 2027.

Therefore they were of the opinion that; “It is a common knowledge that OPOCA had earlier assumed position of harmony, political understanding and seamless workability of Imo Charter of Equity through a detailed correspondence to Imo Elders. Council advising compatriots and leaders of Owerri and Okigwe zones to dismantle every perceived political encumbrances including the fandom legal action filed against the landslide and overwhelming
Victory that democratically guaranteed the second term of His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma (Onwa) and Orlu Zone under the renewed spirit of the Charter of Equity.

“Considering the foregoing, the Orlu Political Consultative Assembly
(OPOCA) wishes to restate and assume the following positions: That OPOCA views this development as an orchestrated distraction to the second term administration of Dist. Senator Hope Uzodimma which has just taken off. What the governor deserves at this moment is nothing but the total support of all Imolites to enable the Governor
consolidates on the gains of his first term achievements geared towards taking Imo to a higher level of development and economic prosperity.”

“We therefore reinforce our earlier stand that issues of who becomes the next governor of Imo State shall be democratically determined by our dear Governor and Imolites at the ripe and appropriate time. Definitely it cannot be by blackmailing the Governor and the Imo Elders Council. That the early formation of the so-called Imo Harmony Project committees and structure for the purpose of staging premature campaigns for 2027 Owerri zone governor is an affront to the present government and a seeming parallel government which no doubt spells an illegality of some sort against known democratic principles. That it is strange and unfortunate that Capt. Iheanacho has never activated any medium to acknowledge the good works of the governor or commend him for the landmark reconstruction and dualization of Owerri-Mbaise- Umuahia road which crosses his Emekuku country home and Compound.

“We therefore call on the government of Senator Hope Uzodimma to take decisive action against political desperadoes and clandestine moves Capable of heating up the pollty as well as inordinate political Structures likely to undermine the government of the state and Overheat the polity again considering the fact that the state is only
just recovering from volcanic insecurity largely heaped on us by another group of political renegades,” he said.