TD The National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, has formally entered the 2027 House of Representatives race for the Orlu/Orsu/Oru East Federal Constituency of Imo State on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday, September 16, by the OYC leader.
Igboayaka said his name had appeared on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) final list of candidates for the constituency.
INEC’s official final list indeed lists Igboayaka Onyinyechi Igboayaka as the YPP candidate for Oru East/Orsu/Orlu Federal Constituency.
The commission lists 14 candidates for the constituency, including incumbent lawmaker Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, Canice Moore Nwachukwu Chukwugozie of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Igboayaka’s public statement describes the contest as a bid to replace what he called a long period of poor political representation in the constituency.
Igboayaka: ‘Youths hold the electoral value’
Speaking about his candidacy, Igboayaka said youths constitute a significant proportion of the electorate in Orlu, Orsu and Oru East and appealed to them to support his campaign.
He urged young people across the three local government areas to make what he described as the necessary sacrifice to support his candidacy.
He also encouraged support for National Assembly candidates across the South-East who share his stated vision for addressing insecurity and economic challenges.
According to him, the 2027 election should provide voters in the constituency with an opportunity to reflect on the quality of representation they have received over the years.
He challenged constituents to decide whether they wanted continuity or a different approach to political representation.
Igboayaka alleges ’28 years of political orphanage’
The YPP candidate accused past representatives of what he described as political negligence and transactional politics.
He alleged that Orlu, Orsu and Oru East had experienced what he called “political orphanage” for 28 years.
This, he said, was because of representatives whom he accused of putting personal interests ahead of the constituency.
Igboayaka further alleged that insecurity had worsened in parts of the constituency since the 2019 general election.
He attributed the situation to what he described as the absence of an “Igbo-oriented” federal representative and poor state-level management.
Those claims represent Igboayaka’s assessment of the constituency’s political and security situation and were not independently established in the statement.
Invokes David and Saul analogy
Explaining his decision to contest under the YPP, Igboayaka likened himself to the biblical David challenging King Saul.
He said his decision was prompted by what he described as “colossal leadership failure” and sabotage at both state and federal levels:
“It was at this juncture of poor representation and betrayal that I reflected on what has befallen the Igbo Nation, particularly my federal constituency.
“I decided to offer myself like scriptural King David on a divine mandate to dethrone King Saul.”
He subsequently appealed to voters in Orlu, Orsu and Oru East to support his aspiration to “dethrone the Saul of our time and enthrone King David” in the constituency.
Says women and youths have been used for political mobilisation
Igboayaka also criticised what he described as the treatment of women and young people during election cycles.
He alleged that women had been reduced to participants in political rallies.
Meanwhile, youths were allegedly recruited for political thuggery and subsequently abandoned after elections:
“Our youths have been turned into thugs, forced into all kinds of criminalities and political orphans — abandoned for 4 years, only remembered to eat crumbs during campaigns.”
He called for an end to what he described as political servitude and said elected representatives should regard themselves as servants of the electorate.
Igboayaka: ‘The people must be the masters’
Igboayaka said his political philosophy was based on the principle that public office holders should serve the people rather than exercise control over them.
He stated:
“It is time to go back to the rudiments of leadership.
“The people must be the masters, while leaders are the servants of the people.”
He added:
“To lead is to serve, and to be served is to be the master. The people are the masters.
“This is my ideology, this is my belief, and this is my strength. I was born to serve the people.”
APC incumbent also on INEC’s final list
The contest will pit Igboayaka against several candidates, including incumbent APC lawmaker Canice Moore Nwachukwu Chukwugozie.
Nwachukwu was elected to represent the constituency in 2023, and contemporary records identify him as the APC’s winner of that election.
He is also listed by INEC among the 2027 candidates for the constituency.
The APC South-East chapter’s current directory also identifies Nwachukwu as its House of Representatives member for Oru East/Orsu/Orlu.
Igboayaka’s declaration therefore sets up a contest involving the incumbent and candidates from several political parties.
INEC’s final list also containing representatives of the APC, APGA, PDP, Labour Party, ADC, APM, NRM, SDP, PRP and other parties.
INEC date correction
The OYC statement referred to January 16, 2027 as the election date. However, INEC’s officially published timetable places the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 20, 2027, with the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for March 6, 2027.
Accordingly, the Orlu/Orsu/Oru East Federal Constituency election is scheduled for February 20, 2027, barring any subsequent alteration to the timetable.
Igboayaka calls for support
Concluding his statement, the YPP candidate called on residents of Orlu, Orsu and Oru East, as well as people across the South-East, to support him.
He described his determination as an effort to establish a new standard of political leadership:
“This is not about me, it’s setting up a test of Leadership standard.
“This is about rescuing our constituency and our people from the grip of transactional politicians who have sold our future for personal gain.”
He added that the objective, in his view, was to “salvage Orlu/Orsu/Oru East and Igboland at large” through what he described as collective action.
The 2027 race will now feature Igboayaka as the YPP candidate alongside the incumbent APC representative and other candidates officially listed by INEC.
