Owerri West is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Umuguma. Owerri West Local Government is administered under the terms of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Elections to the office of the Chairman of the local government are held through nominations by registered political parties as stipulated by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the supervision of Imo State Electoral Commission. Owerri West was carved out of the former Owerri Local Government Area in 1996. A very large portion of the local government constitute the capital city of Imo State, Nigeria. It has an area of 295 km² and a population of 99,265 at the 2006 census.