Some of the leaders of Isiala Mbano Squad
By Bose
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In what many observers describe as a defining grassroots moment ahead of the 2027 general elections, a formidable coalition of rural women under the banner of Isiala Mbano Squad has publicly endorsed attorney Charles Onyirimba, and called on him to declare interest for the Senate.
The endorsement, delivered at a well-attended town hall gathering in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, signals more than routine political support. It reflects a growing movement among community-based women who say they are tired of ceremonial representation and are now demanding strategic, competent, and people-driven leadership in Abuja.
The Isiala Mbano Squad is a network of market women, farmers, petty traders, teachers, and faith-based community leaders. Though informal in structure, the group has become influential in mobilising women voters across the LGA. Their strength lies not in elite connections but in neighborhood networks, church gatherings, cooperative societies, market unions, and family clusters.
At the endorsement ceremony, speakers cited Onyirimba’s engagement with local issues, especially youth unemployment, access to rural healthcare, and agricultural support for women cooperatives.
One of the group’s coordinators declared: “We are the mothers of this land. We carry the burdens of broken roads, poor hospitals, and hungry homes. We have watched and waited. This time, we are choosing someone who understands policy and people.”
Addressing the women, a leading voice in Okigwe politics, Hon. Favour Nwelue, otherwise known as Ada Okigwe, charged the women, especially the leaders, to uphold diligence and integrity in every responsibility entrusted to them. She reminded them that relevance is sustained by reliability, that those who remain dependable will always remain in demand.
Nwelue urged them to ensure that whatever resources, information, or materials allocated to their ward must reach their intended destination without diversion or compromise. According to her, stewardship is a sacred trust; once credibility is traded for short-term gain, prestige is lost and potential allies withdraw their support.
“If you are found trustworthy,” she emphasised, “doors will continue to open. But the moment confidence is broken, even those willing to help will step back.”
As many of such endorsements are expected in the days ahead, she concluded by encouraging the women to guard their reputation jealously, noting that integrity is a form of capital no political structure can afford to squander.
Nwelue assured that as pressures are being mounted on Onyirimba, she was certain that he would heed the call of his people and fi the needful.
Charles Onyirimba is a legal practitioner and public affairs advocate with deep roots in Imo State. Over the years, he has built a reputation as a principled voice on governance reform, grassroots empowerment, and accountability. Known for his legal interventions on public policy issues and his advocacy for equitable development at home and in the Diaspora, Onyirimba has steadily positioned himself as part of a new generation of technocratic politicians who combine professional expertise with local identity.
Supporters describe him as accessible, cerebral, and reform-minded, traits that resonate in a district where voters increasingly scrutinise competence over rhetoric. That is why they have bowed to ensure that he runs for seat, as he posseses what the people have been long denied.
The 2027 Senate race in Imo State is expected to be competitive. As political realignments intensify across parties, aspirants are quietly building structures long before formal primaries. In this climate, early endorsements can shape momentum, donor confidence, and internal party calculations.
Analysts note that while endorsements do not guarantee victory, they contribute to narrative building. Politics is as much about perception as it is about numbers. Being perceived as “the people’s choice” can influence undecided voters and even rival aspirants weighing coalition strategies.
Interestingly, the women’s group framed their endorsement around policy concerns rather than patronage expectations. They listed demands: improved maternal healthcare, small-scale business funding, skill acquisition centers, and legislative advocacy for rural infrastructure.
This signals a subtle but important shift, from personality-driven politics to performance-based expectations.
If Onyirimba consolidates this support across neighboring LGAs and replicates similar grassroots endorsements, his campaign could evolve into a bottom-up movement rather than a top-heavy operation.
For Charles Onyirimba, the endorsement presents both opportunity and responsibility. Grassroots support generates goodwill, but it also raises expectations. Translating symbolic endorsement into electoral success will require strategic coalition-building, party negotiations, and sustained community engagement.
With the groundswell support and calls he is getting, the legal luminary may have no choice but to embark on the rescue mission that the people want to thrust upon his broad shoulders.
However, the optics are clear: when rural women step into the political arena as organised endorsers rather than passive voters, they alter the equation.
As the 2027 Senate race gradually takes shape, the endorsement from Isiala Mbano Squad may well be remembered as an early indicator of a candidacy rooted not just in ambition, but in community affirmation.
In politics, structures matter. But sometimes, the quiet strength of mothers and market women, mobilised, organised, and determined, can be the difference between aspiration and ascension.
