Twenty-five autonomous communities in Ohaji, Imo State, have rejected proposals to include them in the creation of a proposed Orlu State from Nigeria’s South-East region.
In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the communities under the Ogbako Ohaji People’s Forum expressed strong opposition, insisting they were never consulted and want no part in any arrangement that would place them under Orlu.
Signed by the Forum’s National President, Fidelis Enya, and Chairman of the Committee on State Creation, Johnbosco Ben, the letter acknowledged the need for a new state in the South-East to address geopolitical imbalance but maintained that Ohaji should not be part of the planned state.
“Ohaji, with nearly 400,000 people across 25 autonomous communities and seven INEC wards, rejects any move to merge us into Orlu State or any similar configuration,” the statement read.
They described their existing placement in Orlu Senatorial Zone as a “political error” rooted in selfish interests and warned against compounding that mistake.
“There is no cultural, historical, or social affinity between us and Orlu people,” the letter noted. “Our inclusion would amount to a forced political union.”
The group said they preferred to remain in Imo State due to shared boundaries, religious ties, and cultural alignment, and declared that their position would not change.
“Ohaji will not be part of any proposed Orlu State,” they concluded. “We support a new state for the South-East but reject any plan that removes us from Imo.”
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