IMO CHARTER OF EQUITY: THERE CAN BE NO EQUITY WITHOUT JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS — IT IS THE TURN OF OHAJI/EGBEMA TO PRODUCE THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF IMO STATE By Dr Obinna Kennedy Ekwueme

IMO CHARTER OF EQUITY: THERE CAN BE NO EQUITY WITHOUT JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS — IT IS THE TURN OF OHAJI/EGBEMA TO PRODUCE THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF IMO STATE

By Dr Obinna Kennedy Ekwueme

,

Egbema Autonomous Community, Ohaji/Egbema LGA

Across Nigeria, at both national and subnational levels, the call for balanced representation in leadership that reflects the various demographics and contributions of the people has become a moral imperative. Nowhere is this cry louder—or more justified—than in Imo State, where the long-standing demand for a binding and inclusive Charter of Equity continues to resonate powerfully.

However, equity cannot exist in abstraction. It cannot be reduced to mere rotation of offices without reference to justice, contribution, and fairness. A Charter of Equity that ignores economic realities and resource ownership is incomplete. What Imo State needs at this defining moment is not merely a Charter of Equity—but a Charter of Resources anchored on justice.

Equity Must Be Rooted in Resource Justice

For decades, discussions about equity in Imo State have revolved around senatorial zones—Orlu (Imo West), Okigwe (Imo North) and Owerri (Imo East)—with political actors seeking to frame leadership succession along those lines. Yet this framework has consistently ignored a fundamental truth: the economic lifeline that elevated Imo State into the league of oil-producing states lies beneath the soil of Ohaji/Egbema.

It is the oil and gas fields of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area that gave Imo State access to the 13% derivation fund from the Federation Account. Without this resource base, Imo would not enjoy the financial status it currently does as an oil-producing state. Yet paradoxically, the communities whose land bore this wealth remain underdeveloped, environmentally challenged, and politically marginalized.

No serious conversation about equity can ignore this injustice.

If equity means fairness, then fairness must consider contribution. If justice means balance, then balance must reflect sacrifice. Ohaji/Egbema has carried the environmental burden and the economic weight of oil production, yet has little to show in terms of infrastructure, industrialization, healthcare facilities, modern schools, or sustainable development projects proportionate to its contribution.

The Failure of Selective Equity

Some groups operating under various banners have attempted to unilaterally define the future of Imo’s power rotation without broad-based consultation. Such efforts, however well-intentioned, cannot override the moral argument that resource-bearing communities deserve priority consideration.

A Charter of Equity that is silent on resource justice is structurally defective.

It is not enough to say “power must move here or there” without answering the deeper question: Who has borne the cost of Imo’s economic survival? Who has subsidized the rest of the state through environmental degradation and lost economic opportunities?

When two unequals are treated as equals, injustice is institutionalized.

Ohaji/Egbema: The Moral Case for 2028

As 2028 approaches, the time has come for Imo State to confront this reality with courage and clarity.

Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area should produce the next governor of Imo State.

This is not a claim rooted in sentiment. It is grounded in moral reasoning, economic contribution, and restorative justice.

The oil and gas extracted from Ohaji/Egbema’s soil have funded roads, institutions, political structures, and governance across the state. The 13% derivation revenue exists because of them. Yet the host communities still grapple with inadequate infrastructure, youth unemployment, limited industrial presence, and insufficient social amenities.

Equity demands correction.

Producing the next governor from Ohaji/Egbema would not be sectional favoritism; it would be a symbolic and practical step toward acknowledging the community’s central role in Imo’s fiscal sustainability. It would signal that Imo State recognizes sacrifice and rewards contribution. It would calm long-standing grievances and strengthen unity.

A Resource-Based Charter of Equity

The way forward is clear. The Imo State Government should institutionalize a statutory framework that redefines equity beyond geography and embeds resource justice into its core principles.

Such a Charter should:

1. Recognize resource-producing communities as priority stakeholders in leadership considerations.

2. Guarantee proportional infrastructural and economic investment in host communities.

3. Ensure environmental remediation and sustainable development.

4. Establish a binding rotation model that integrates resource contribution as a determining factor.

Equity must be deliberate, holistic, and legally protected—not negotiated in back rooms or dictated by sectional pressure groups.

Justice Before Rotation

For too long, discussions of rotation have ignored the deeper structural imbalances within the state. True unity cannot be built on silence over injustice. Peace cannot endure where sacrifice is unacknowledged.

The soil of Ohaji/Egbema bore the oil and gas that transformed Imo into an oil-producing state. That fact must not be politically inconvenient; it must be politically decisive.

If Imo State is sincere about building a Charter of Equity that will endure for generations, then it must first adopt a Charter of Resources. Justice must precede rotation. Contribution must precede entitlement.

Conclusion: Let Justice Lead

Imo stands at a crossroads.

The choice before Ndi Imo is simple: continue recycling old formulas of selective equity, or boldly correct historical imbalances by recognizing the rightful place of resource-bearing communities in the leadership equation.

Ohaji/Egbema has waited.

Ohaji/Egbema has contributed.

Ohaji/Egbema has sacrificed.

Now, in the spirit of justice, fairness, and true equity, it is the turn of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area to produce the next governor of Imo State.

Anything less would be equity in name—but injustice in practice.