WHEN EQUITY IS BETRAYED, SILENCE BECOMES COMPLICITY: HON. OSITA OPARA STANDS FIRM AGAINST POLITICAL INJUSTICE, DOUBLE STANDARDS, AND THE ATTEMPTED BURIAL OF THE CHARTER OF EQUITY IN OWERRI ZONE
In every democratic society governed by conscience and guided by political morality, there comes a moment when silence becomes betrayal and compromise becomes an assault on justice itself. For Hon. Osita Opara (Itoli of Mbaitoli), the decision not to step down from the Owerri Zone Senate contest, even as other aspirants bowed to pressure, was not an act of stubbornness but a principled resistance against the dangerous erosion of Equity, Justice, and Fairness, the very philosophical pillars upon which peaceful coexistence and political stability are built.
A day before the primaries, the Governor unequivocally declared before party faithful that any aspirant who understood that zoning did not favor his or her ambition should withdraw in the interest of fairness and justice to other components of the constituency. That declaration was applauded across the political spectrum because it resonated with the age-long doctrine that power must rotate in a manner that gives every bloc a sense of belonging. Hon. Osita Opara believed those words were not mere ceremonial rhetoric, but a solemn moral commitment to the Charter of Equity. Political philosophy teaches that legitimacy in leadership is derived not merely from authority, but from consistency between words and actions. A leader who preaches justice must be seen to practice justice.
It is therefore deeply troubling and politically unfathomable that the same government which publicly advocates equity would openly support an aspirant from Owerri North LGA for the Senate seat, even when the incumbent Senator, Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi, who is completing an eight-year tenure, is equally from Owerri North. Such contradiction raises fundamental questions about the sincerity of the Charter of Equity being preached to the people. Equity cannot be selective; justice cannot be conditional; fairness cannot be sacrificed on the altar of political convenience. Once principles become disposable, trust in leadership begins to collapse. As political theorists have long argued, the greatest threat to democracy is not opposition, but hypocrisy clothed in authority.
Hon. Osita Opara therefore refused to participate in what many party faithful have described as an orchestrated surrender of fairness. He remains convinced that posterity will judge every actor according to whether they stood with justice or chose expediency over truth. He believes that Mbaitoli, and indeed the broader Owerri Zone, deserve a political process anchored on integrity rather than manipulation. History has repeatedly shown that societies thrive not when the powerful impose outcomes, but when institutions respect balance, inclusion, and due process.
Consequently, Hon. Osita Opara has called on all his supporters, political associates, and lovers of justice to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding, emphasizing that no official result has yet been announced. In line with the directives of the party leadership, the authentic and official outcome of the exercise will be announced in Abuja. Until that process is concluded, every speculative publication and premature declaration remains unofficial, misleading, and politically mischievous.
Hon. Osita Opara wishes to categorically state that he has not conceded to any kangaroo consensus arrangement concocted by desperate political propagandists. Such publications exist only in the hallucinations and fertile imaginations of their authors whose intention is to deceive the public and create a false narrative of surrender where none exists. Consensus, in any democratic setting, must emerge from collective agreement, mutual respect, and transparent consultation, not coercion, manipulation, or political intimidation disguised as party unity.
As a democrat and firm believer in constitutional order, Hon. Osita Opara shall continue to prosecute his case in Abuja until justice is attained and fairness prevails. The struggle is not merely about one man’s ambition; it is about defending the sanctity of equity, preserving the credibility of political promises, and ensuring that future generations can still believe that principles matter in public life.
Justice may be delayed, but truth remains undefeated. Equity may be challenged, but fairness shall ultimately prevail.
MacPhilip C Chukwukere
(Mmiri Ozuzo Mbieri)