A former member of the House of Representatives, Rufus Omeire, has rejected claims that the Ideato Federal Constituency seat in Imo State follows a zoning plan between Ideato North and Ideato South.
Mr. Omeire, who is the Action Peoples Party (APP) senatorial candidate for Imo West, said the latest push for zoning in the constituency’s 2027 representation is meant to undermine the current lawmaker, Ikenga Ugochinyere (APP, Imo).
Mr. Ugochinyere represents the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency and is the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream).
In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr. Omeire explained that Mr. Ugochinyere did not win through zoning. He stated that Ugochinyere was chosen by the voters in the constituency.
“Ikenga is not a product of zoning. He is a product of our people’s decision to elect a messenger they have confidence in, even while he was in exile,” he said.
Mr. Omeire, who hails from Ideato South, stated that the constituency has never had a formal zoning system for the federal House seat.
“We don’t have zoning, and he can’t be a product of what does not exist,” he said.
He pointed to Mr. Ugochinyere’s victory in the 2023 election over the then incumbent, Paschal Obi, from Ideato South, as proof that voters in the constituency have not followed a rotation plan.
“His closest challenger, who was the incumbent, was from Ideato South, went even up to the court, and Ikenga defeated him,” Omeire said.
Mr. Omeire shared his own experience of trying to secure a second term when he represented the constituency from Ideato South. He was not re-elected, which he believes supports the idea that there is no rule ensuring successive terms for one area.
According to him, voters should choose their representatives based on their performance, not geographical rotation.
“The people love Ikenga because he is a light and a messenger who will one day host the Ideato flag at the centre of national and international politics,” he said.
Mr. Omeire also argued that frequently changing representatives after a single term could harm progress and development in the constituency.
“We are short-changing ourselves in this quest to always change our Reps after one tenure. We can never achieve any meaningful development from the federal level like this. We have finally gotten it right with Ikenga, so he should continue the wonderful work he is doing,” he said.
The former lawmaker defended Mr. Ugochinyere’s achievements, especially in getting federal attention for infrastructure in Ideato.
He praised the current lawmaker for securing President Bola Tinubu’s approval for N26 billion for the Ideato Bridge. He claimed this approval came before the Imo State Government later approached the Ministry of Works to take over the project.
Mr. Omeire challenged the Imo State Government to show projects it has started on its own in the federal constituency.
“Until they start the Amanator-Isiekenesi-Dikenafai Road and finish it, nobody can say they have done anything for us,” he said.
Mr. Omeire dismissed Mr. Ugochinyere’s critics as “roadside clowns.” He accused them of launching what he called a “kindergarten attack” against the lawmaker.
He urged those behind the agitation to stop trying to create unnecessary tension and attract political attention.
“This desperate show of shame was only an act to beg for the extension of their tenure, which has already expired,” he said.
Mr. Ugochinyere won the 2023 election, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with 13,026 votes. Mr. Obi, from the Labour Party, came second with 5,696 votes, while the All Progressives Congress candidate, Chika Abazu, got 2,368 votes.
The election faced a challenge at the tribunal. In September 2023, the Imo State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal ordered Mr. Ugochinyere’s removal and a supplementary election after ruling on the validity of his nomination. However, the Court of Appeal later canceled the tribunal’s decision and confirmed Ugochinyere’s election.
The zoning disagreement is not new. While there is no formal zoning rule for the federal constituency, records show that the seat has historically switched between politicians from the two LGAs, but not strictly by one-term each.
Records from the Fourth Republic show that ThankGod Ezeani and Patricia Udogu, both from Ideato North, represented the constituency between 1999 and 2007. Mr. Omeire, from Ideato South, took over from 2007 to 2011. The seat returned to Ideato North with Eddie Mbadiwe and was held by Austin Chukwukere, both from Ideato North, from 2011 to 2019. Paschal Obi, from Ideato South, won in 2019 before losing to Mr. Ugochinyere in 2023.
The zoning issue came up again in 2026 as political activities for the 2027 elections increased. In April, a group called the Ideato South Political Forum publicly declared support for Mr. Ugochinyere for another term. They said they consulted with communities, youths, elders, and political figures before making this decision. The group argued that Ideato South should not sacrifice quality representation for zoning.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇