Ozo Ekenulo has rejected the reported proposal to relocate the collation centre for the Isu/Njaba/Nkwerre/Nwangele Federal Constituency from Amaigbo in Nwangele Local Government Area to Nkwerre Local Government Area, describing the move as unacceptable without consultation with affected stakeholders.
Ekenulo, who leads the Save-Imo advocacy group, raised the objection in an open petition submitted to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday, September 25, 2026.
The petition followed an internal correspondence reportedly dated wednesday, September 16, 2026, from the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo State recommending that the federal constituency collation centre be returned from Amaigbo to Nkwerre.
According to the petition, the proposed relocation was reportedly premised on the claim that the centre had previously been moved to Amaigbo in error.
The affected constituency is the Isu/Njaba/Nkwerre/Nwangele Federal Constituency, comprising the four local government areas of Isu, Njaba, Nkwerre and Nwangele.
Historical electoral records identify Nwangele Council Headquarters in Amaigbo as the collation centre for the constituency, with the constituency designated FC/132/IM.
INEC’s 2015 information kit listed the constituency with 43 registration areas and 440 polling units, while identifying Nwangele Council Headquarters, Amaigbo, as its collation centre.
The controversy has emerged ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Save-Imo questioning why an established electoral arrangement should be altered without publicly disclosing the administrative and security considerations behind the proposed change.
Ekenulo argued that references to security challenges and protocol considerations were too vague to justify the proposed relocation without supporting documentation being made available to affected stakeholders.
He said no specific security threat, intelligence report or formal assessment concerning Amaigbo had been publicly disclosed or communicated to the local stakeholders, according to the petition.
The group also faulted what it described as the absence of consultation with traditional rulers, community leaders and political stakeholders across the affected Nwangele communities before the proposed administrative change.
Ekenulo said the objection was not directed against Nkwerre or its people but against what Save-Imo described as an opaque administrative process.
The group therefore called on INEC’s national leadership to suspend the proposed relocation, make the underlying administrative and security reports public and conduct a transparent review involving stakeholders from the affected constituency.
“halt the relocation process, publish the underlying administrative and security reports, and conduct a transparent review involving all constituency stakeholders,” the petition demanded.
The development has also drawn attention because the constituency’s collation arrangements have previously been associated with Amaigbo.
During the 2023 general election, the House of Representatives election for the constituency was not initially concluded because of the margin-of-lead principle.
When the result was eventually declared on Friday, April 28, 2023, the declaration was made at the Nwangele Local Government Area collation office.
The 2023 electoral experience has therefore become part of the context surrounding the current disagreement over whether the constituency’s collation centre should remain in Amaigbo or be moved to Nkwerre.
Save-Imo maintains that any alteration to an established electoral administrative arrangement should be supported by clear documentation and subjected to stakeholder engagement before implementation.
The group also wants INEC to clarify whether the September 16 correspondence represents a final decision, a recommendation by the Imo State office or an administrative proposal still awaiting approval from the commission’s national leadership.
As of Friday, September 25, 2026, available information does not establish that INEC’s national headquarters has formally approved or implemented the proposed relocation.
The controversy therefore remains centred on a reported proposal to move the centre rather than a confirmed completed relocation.
Separately, concerns over reported changes to electoral collation arrangements have also emerged elsewhere in Imo State, increasing calls for INEC to publicly clarify the circumstances surrounding any proposed changes ahead of the 2027 elections.
For the Isu/Njaba/Nkwerre/Nwangele constituency, the immediate demand from Save-Imo is for transparency, publication of the documents supporting the proposed change and consultation with affected stakeholders before any relocation is implemented.
The group said the process should be handled in a manner capable of preserving public confidence in the electoral system and preventing avoidable tension among communities within the four-LGA federal constituency.
