A Scorching Rebuttal to Willie Amadi and the So-Called Imo Harmony Project
By Dr. Chinwe Nweke, PhD (Political Science), Columbia University; Research Fellow, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies and A Conscience of Justice in Imo State
Let no one be deceived again. Let no one twist history anymore. Let no political merchant of false peace preach harmony while sitting on the rotting corpse of justice. The so-called Imo Harmony Project (IHP) and its media apologist, Willie Amadi, must be called out for what they truly are: a desperate, calculated attempt to smuggle Owerri Zone back into Imo governorship without accounting for their historic betrayal of the very equity they now claim to defend.
You cannot violate a covenant, plunge the state into disorder, and then return years later pretending to be its custodian. IHP is not a harmony project—it is a hypocrisy project. And the time has come to expose it, without mincing words or apologizing for truth.
OWERRI ZONE: THE ZONE THAT MURDERED EQUITY IN 2011
Let us revisit the hard facts—unfiltered and unvarnished.
From 1999, a natural and morally binding Charter of Equity began to take root in Imo State. Orlu Zone, through Chief Achike Udenwa, took its fair 8-year turn (1999–2007). The baton moved naturally to Okigwe Zone, with Dr. Ikedi Ohakim emerging as Governor in 2007. By all logic and justice, Ohakim was expected to govern till 2015—completing Okigwe’s 8-year slot before power would then rotate to Owerri Zone, uncontested and unprovoked.
But what did Owerri Zone do?
They betrayed the pact. They slaughtered the principle. They stabbed equity in the heart.
Rather than wait their rightful turn in 2015, Owerri politicians—drunk on premature ambition and blinded by desperation—colluded with federal power brokers to unseat Ohakim in 2011. They manufactured lies. They waged a toxic propaganda war. They orchestrated a civilian coup d’état through deceit and backdoor sabotage. And the result? Power returned to Orlu Zone—not to Owerri—through Rochas Okorocha, who then began the unbroken 16-year reign of Orlu dominance that they now hypocritically lament.
Owerri Zone handed power back to Orlu on a platter of betrayal. And now they cry foul? No. We will not allow that revisionist nonsense to stand.
NO ZONE THAT DESTROYED EQUITY CAN NOW PREACH IT
The very idea that Owerri Zone—or any of its political fronts like IHP—can now lay claim to the governorship under the guise of “equity” is not just dishonest. It is insulting. It is immoral. It is the highest form of political impunity.
You cannot destroy a house and then arrive with a paint bucket pretending to be its restorer.
Before Owerri Zone can ever speak of equity, they must first kneel before history and admit their treachery. They must acknowledge the injustice meted out to Okigwe Zone in 2011. And they must openly and practically support the restoration of Okigwe’s truncated mandate—only then can a conversation about equity even begin.
LOW TURNOUT EXPOSES OWERRI’S FRACTURED POLITICAL SOUL
Let us also talk numbers—real numbers.
In the 2023 Imo gubernatorial election, Owerri Zone posted one of the lowest voter turnouts in the state. For a zone that now claims entitlement to the governorship, it cannot even rally its own people to vote. This apathy is proof of one thing: Owerri Zone is neither ready nor united. The so-called Harmony Project is built on sand—without grassroots power, without legitimacy, and without strategy.
You cannot claim leadership in a state where you can’t even lead your zone to the polling booth.
GOVERNOR UZODIMMA NEVER ENDORSED ZONING — HE SAID COMPETENCE
IHP’s narrative that Governor Hope Uzodimma has “handed over” power to Owerri Zone in 2028 is pure fiction—a lie repeated often enough to deceive the ignorant.
Governor Uzodimma has made it abundantly clear: competence, capacity, and continuity—not zoning—will determine who succeeds him. He has called for someone who will consolidate on his gains and continue the Shared Prosperity agenda—not just anyone from any zone.
So let IHP stop lying to the public. Governor Uzodimma is not playing ethnic roulette with Imo’s future. He is looking for a tested hand—not an entitled zone.
IHP IS A FRAUDULENT DISTRACTION FROM THE REAL STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE
Let it be shouted from the rooftops: The only valid Charter of Equity in Imo State is the natural rotation that began in 1999 and was destroyed by Owerri in 2011. What IHP and its promoters are doing now is not advocacy—it is a criminal attempt to rewrite history and hijack a moral process they once betrayed.
No matter how polished their media campaigns may be, IHP cannot wash its hands clean of blood it helped spill. Their mission is not unity—it is manipulation. Their project is not peace—it is pretense.
True harmony begins with truth. And the truth is that Owerri Zone must stand down. They must reflect. They must apologize. And they must support the restoration of justice by allowing Okigwe Zone complete its stolen mandate.
Until that happens, their cries for “equity” are noise. Their sermons of “justice” are empty. And their vision of “harmony” is deception.
CONCLUSION: IMO DESERVES TRUTH, NOT TREACHERY IN NEW CLOTHES
Let this serve as a final warning to the IHP and all who believe they can play on the people’s ignorance:
There will be no shortcuts to justice. There will be no second betrayal. The only path to peace is restitution. And until Okigwe Zone completes its interrupted tenure, equity shall remain a mirage.
Imo people are awake. History has recorded. And no amount of media spin can cover the original sin of 2011.
Let Owerri Zone cleanse itself before seeking power. Let IHP dissolve if it cannot speak the truth. Let the Charter of Equity be restored—not distorted.
We will not be fooled again.
Read More;
2027 Guber: Nwachukwu Raises Alarm: Foresees Orlu Succeeding Uzodinma: Calls For Alignment B/W Owerri, Okigwe
