As Orlu LGA Executive Chairman Plots for Second Term
Barring a last-minute intervention by the Governor and leader of the APC in Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, a major crisis may erupt within the APC leadership in Orlu Local Government Area over zoning and rotational arrangements.
Reports indicate that the Executive Chairman of Orlu LGA, Pastor Chris Mbarie, is allegedly insisting that the bloc to produce the Orlu State House of Assembly candidate in the forthcoming general election should be Orlu South (Isu clan).
This move, according to sources, is aimed at enabling him—being from Orlu North (Orsu clan)—to secure a second term when the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission schedules the next council elections.
However, several APC leaders in Orlu LGA are said to be resisting this move. They have reportedly resolved to challenge the chairman’s alleged plan to sponsor the Majority Leader of the Orlu Legislative Council, Hon. Magnus Okolie, an aspirant from Isu clan, for the State House of Assembly seat. The aggrieved leaders are also said to be planning a protest at the APC state headquarters in Owerri.
A communiqué issued by the Orlu LGA Political Forum (OPF) and circulated in local newspapers recalled that during the Third Republic, prominent leaders of Orlu LGA established a “Charter of Equity” to guide political power-sharing. The agreement stipulates that the two blocs—Isu and Orsu clans (Orlu South and North)—should alternate the positions of Executive Chairman and State Assembly representative in each political cycle.
According to the OPF, it is currently the turn of Orsu clan (Orlu North) to produce a member of the Imo State House of Assembly. The group therefore encouraged aspirants from Orsu clan to obtain APC nomination forms, pending the scheduling of council elections, which would then allow Isu clan to produce the next Executive Chairman.
Sources claim that the insistence of party leaders on maintaining the zoning arrangement has angered Pastor Mbarie, who is reportedly pursuing a second-term bid. He is alleged to be attempting to disrupt the existing arrangement by backing an Isu candidate for the Assembly seat, thereby reshaping the zoning structure to his advantage ahead of the next council poll.
Further allegations suggest that Pastor Mbarie has been lobbying influential APC stakeholders in Imo State to support his preferred candidate. He is reportedly leveraging his connections to key figures close to Governor Hope Uzodinma in a bid to secure approval for the proposed shift in zoning.
Additionally, sources claim that Pastor Mbarie has consolidated significant political influence in Orlu LGA, allegedly determining the outcome of the last APC local government congress by installing loyalists, including aides and supervisory councillors, in party positions—an action critics argue may violate provisions of the APC constitution.
He is also accused of intimidating local political leaders by citing his close ties to powerful figures within the state government. According to these claims, he often asserts that he has the governor’s backing to influence political decisions in Orlu LGA, including any changes to the zoning arrangement.
Observers note that the situation may escalate unless Governor Hope Uzodinma, widely regarded as a supporter of zoning principles, intervenes to address the growing tensions within the Orlu APC leadership.
