Youth leaders from Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, on Saturday, issued a firm and uncompromising demand that the Imo State governorship in 2027 be ceded to their area, warning that any political arrangement that sidelines Ohaji/Egbema would be resisted through organised and lawful political action.

The demand was made at a well-attended press conference and consultative assembly held in Mgbirichi under the aegis of the Ohaji/Egbema Consultative Youth Assembly, where delegates drawn from communities across the LGA unanimously adopted a sweeping resolution declaring that 2027 must mark the end of what they described as decades of political exclusion and economic injustice.

Addressing journalists, the president of the youth assembly, Comrade Tochi Nwosu, said the demand was coming at a symbolic moment, as Imo State approaches 50 years since its creation without Ohaji/Egbema ever producing a governor, despite what they called the area’s “unmatched contribution to the survival and development of the state.”

“Ohaji/Egbema is not just another local government area in Imo State. We are the economic backbone of this state,” the group declared, citing the area’s dominance in agriculture, oil and gas resources, and strategic energy infrastructure.

The youths listed critical assets located in Ohaji/Egbema, including Adapalm and Rubber Plantation, major oil and gas facilities, the ANOH Gas Plant, Waltersmith Modular Refinery, and the Orashi Power Plant, noting that these resources have helped position Imo State as a key player in Nigeria’s petroleum and gas sector. They argued that revenue derived from these assets had funded infrastructure and development in other parts of the state — Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe zones — while Ohaji/Egbema communities remain largely underdeveloped.

According to the assembly, more than half of Ohaji/Egbema residents have never had access to electricity as of 2026, road networks are largely impassable, clean drinking water is scarce and communities continue to bear the environmental and social costs of oil and gas extraction.

“Our land has been exploited. Our environment degraded. Our people pauperised,” the youths said, describing the situation as a contradiction in which Ohaji/Egbema is deemed “good enough to generate wealth for the state but apparently not good enough to lead it.”

In a strongly worded resolution adopted at the end of the assembly, the youths described their demand as “not a plea, not a request for sympathy, but a legitimate political claim founded on justice, fairness and undeniable economic realities.” They warned that any 2027 zoning or alliance arrangement that excludes Ohaji/Egbema would be viewed as a continuation of oppression and hypocrisy.

Drawing parallels with national precedents, the assembly referenced the creation of Bayelsa State and the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Vice President and later President, arguing that equity often requires giving priority to areas that are most vulnerable yet economically indispensable. They further contended that Ohaji/Egbema today hosts more gas resources than Bayelsa and stands at the epicentre of Nigeria’s gas revolution.

The resolutions put political parties, power brokers and elite interests on notice, stating that parties serious about winning the Imo governorship in 2027 must align with Ohaji/Egbema’s claim or face coordinated political resistance. The youths also rejected what they termed “tokenism, empty promises or secondary political positions” as substitutes for the governorship.

“We have paid our dues to Imo State many times over. We will no longer fund a system that excludes us from leadership,” the declaration read.

The assembly further resolved that no individual or group has the mandate to trade away Ohaji/Egbema’s governorship aspiration under any guise of zoning manipulation, alliances or political bargains, warning that anyone who attempts to do so would be acting “at his or her own risk.”

In a final declaration that drew loud applause from participants, the youths insisted that the era of exploiting Ohaji/Egbema resources while denying the area political leadership is over.

“Ohaji/Egbema has carried Imo State’s economic burdens for decades. We will not continue to be spectators in the political leadership of a state we sustain,” the group said. “2027 is not an appeal; it is our date with destiny.”

They concluded with a blunt message that has begun to reverberate across the state’s political landscape: “In 2027, it is Ohaji/Egbema as governor — or nothing.” (The Sun)