Owerri curses, libations: A democratic abomination coated with desperation

POINTBLANK WITH Smart Emmanuel
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There are moments in a society’s political journey when one must pause and ask: how did we get here? How did we descend from debates, persuasion, and policy to curses, libations, and threats of generational punishment?

The recent report attributed to a group calling itself “Owerri United,” in which severe consequences, including illness, death, and ancestral curses, were allegedly invoked against any son or daughter of Owerri Zone who dares to coordinate or deputize a governorship candidate from Orlu or Okigwe Zones, is not only shocking, but it is profoundly dangerous to the spirit of democracy.

This is not unity. This is not a strategy. This is not even politics. It is desperation dressed in ritual.

Democracy is founded on choice. It survives on freedom of association, political competition, and the right of every citizen to align with whoever they believe best represents their vision. The moment we replace persuasion with intimidation, and civic engagement with spiritual threats, we announce to the world that our political culture has failed. When fear becomes a campaign tool, democracy ceases to function.

What makes this episode even more troubling is the hypocrisy embedded within it. On one hand, these voices forbid their own people from working with candidates from the Orlu or Okigwe Zones. On the other hand, they expect Orlu and Okigwe to rally behind an Owerri candidate. What moral logic supports this contradiction? If cooperation is betrayal when it benefits others, how can it suddenly become acceptable when it benefits you?

If every zone in Imo State were to follow this dangerous example, pouring libations and invoking curses on anyone who crosses political boundaries, then elections would no longer be contests of competence or character. They would become spiritual battlegrounds ruled by fear. Politics would cease to be a civic duty and become a ritualized war of superstition.

Let us be clear: democracy does not recognize curses. It does not validate threats of death. It does not acknowledge generational punishment. It recognizes only law, consent, and the will of the people. Any attempt to enforce loyalty through fear is an admission that one lacks the confidence to win through ideas and credibility.

The desperation to succeed the current governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, has clearly reached alarming levels. But desperation is never an excuse to abandon democratic principles. Power pursued without restraint becomes tyranny, and ambition unchecked by conscience becomes a weapon against society itself.

What is most painful is that these curses were not directed at perceived enemies but at their own sons and daughters, people who simply choose a different political path. When ambition becomes so consuming that it turns inward and devours its own, it reveals the emptiness at the center of that ambition.

Invoking illness, death, and generational curses as political tools is not only reckless; it is morally indefensible. No political objective, no matter how passionately pursued, justifies condemning a family line to suffering because of ideological differences. This is not leadership. It is extremism.

He who seeks equity must first practice equity. You cannot demand fairness while enforcing exclusion. You cannot preach unity while criminalizing independent thought. You cannot call for democracy while threatening those who exercise their democratic rights. These contradictions expose the emptiness of the message behind the noise.

Imo State belongs to all its citizens, Orlu, Okigwe, Owerri, and beyond. No zone owns the future of the state. No group has the authority to dictate the political conscience of another. The ballot is sacred because it represents free will. Once fear enters the process, the sanctity of that choice is destroyed.

History has shown, again and again, that societies that weaponize superstition in politics eventually lose both stability and credibility. Development does not grow in soil watered by fear. Progress does not flourish in an atmosphere of coercion. Unity does not survive where dissent is cursed.

If Owerri truly desires leadership, it must demonstrate the very qualities leadership demands: tolerance, humility, persuasion, and inclusiveness. Power gained through intimidation is unstable, and authority built on fear collapses under its own weight.

The path being chosen is dangerous not only for Owerri Zone but for Imo State as a whole. It risks normalizing political hostility and deepening divisions that may take generations to heal. We must not allow our democratic space to be contaminated by practices that belong to the past.

The future of Imo must be built on reason, dialogue, and mutual respect, not on libations and threats. We must return to the values that define a civilized society: freedom of choice, respect for diversity of thought, and peaceful political competition.

Let this moment serve as a warning. Democracy is fragile. Once corrupted by fear and superstition, it becomes unrecognizable. We must choose whether we want to move forward as a people or retreat into the shadows of intolerance.

Politics should inspire hope, not terror. It should unite, not divide. It should elevate, not degrade. Anything less is a betrayal of the very system we claim to defend.

Aruuuu… this is, indeed, a democratic abomination.