The campaign for a new direction in Okigwe Zone gathered fresh momentum on Friday as the Attorney Charles Onyirimba Campaign Council took its transformation message to Obowo Local Government Area, where an enthusiastic crowd welcomed the team and witnessed the opening of an office for the Transformation Agenda Group and party.
The gathering for the Action Democratic Party, ADP, attracted hundreds of residents, with the crowd overflowing from the main hall into the surrounding space and beyond an additional canopy erected in anticipation of the turnout. The impressive attendance underscored the growing public conversation around leadership, representation and the quest for a new development pathway for Okigwe Zone ahead of the 2027 senatorial election.
The campaign team was led by the Director-General of the Onyirimba Campaign Council, Mrs. Favour Nwelue, and included the Director of Security and Police Affairs, Chief Magnus Orjiako (Ohamadike), the Chief Strategic Officer, Chief Ferdinand Ogor, and the Director of Media and Stakeholders Relatiions, Pastor Anthony Iwuoma.
Speaker after speaker called for a political reawakening, lamenting what they described as years of neglect and missed development opportunities despite the zone’s enormous human and economic potential.
Addressing the gathering, the Director-General of the Onyirimba Campaign Council, Mrs. Favour Nwelue, said the team’s visit was driven by the need to take the message of transformation directly to the people and mobilise them to reclaim their collective political future.
She maintained that meaningful change could not be achieved by one individual or a campaign team alone, urging the people of Obowo to become active ambassadors of the movement and spread its message throughout their communities.
Nwelue argued that the quality of representation mattered greatly in determining whether the people’s interests were adequately protected in government. She stressed that the Senate required a representative who understood legislation and could effectively articulate the needs of the constituency.
According to her, Onyirimba’s legal background and experience made him familiar with the demands of lawmaking, legislative scrutiny and the protection of public interests.
She also challenged the practice of political patronage and godfatherism, warning that financial inducements during elections could distract voters from their long-term interests. She urged the people to look beyond campaign handouts and consider the accountability, independence and capacity of whoever they entrusted with their mandate.
“Onyirimba has consistently maintained that the people are his godfathers,” she said, presenting the candidate’s independence from political godfathers as central to his promise of people-oriented representation.
Drawing a comparison with Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Nwelue argued that political independence could give an elected leader greater room to pursue a development agenda without undue interference from powerful sponsors.
She further declared that Okigwe Zone was not condemned to underdevelopment, insisting that citizens could change their circumstances through informed political choices and active participation in the democratic process.
“The key to that way out has been provided in your PVC,” she told the gathering, urging eligible voters to participate in the election, protect their votes and ensure that their choices count.
Earlier, the party chairman called attention to the contrasting pace of development in Orlu and Owerri, arguing that Okigwe Zone needed more effective representation to secure its fair share of public resources and development projects.
He blamed godfatherism, alleged diversion of resources and the deployment of individuals to positions they were not equipped to handle for some of the challenges confronting the zone. He also raised concerns about projects reportedly awarded but left unexecuted, citing longstanding road problems, including the deplorable condition of the road leading to the late former governor Sam Mbakwe’s residence, which he said had remained a concern since the 1980s.
The chairman expressed confidence that Onyirimba, if elected to the Senate, would bring his professional knowledge, legislative understanding and commitment to bear on the zone’s development challenges. He urged Obowo residents to rally behind the candidate and support the transformation agenda.
The Obowo engagement forms part of the Onyirimba campaign’s wider consultations across the six local government areas of Okigwe Zone. Through these engagements, the campaign has continued to promote its message of accountable leadership, effective representation and development driven by the needs and aspirations of the people.
For the Onyirimba team, the opening of the Obowo office represents more than the establishment of a campaign base; it provides a platform for sustained grassroots engagement, community mobilisation and the articulation of local development priorities.
As the 2027 senatorial contest approaches, the campaign is urging residents to translate their concerns about representation into active civic participation, insisting that the future of Okigwe Zone should be shaped by the informed choices of its people.
