…COMMUNITY WARNS COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON, SAYS HER ACTIVITIES KILLING APC
The people of Obiangwu Autonomous Community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, have raised the alarm over alleged plot by Executive Chairperson of the council, Hon Chika Ibekwe to scuttle their scheduled town union election.
The community which stated this in a statement issued by Obiangwu Stakeholders Forum, and signed by Hon Emmanuel Agbakwuru and Hon Chukwuma Anuforo, stated that reliable information available to them indicates that the chairperson is perfecting plans to allegedly use the governor’s name as cover to execute a self serving agenda of trying to scuttle a legitimate town union election, slated to hold this coming Saturday
According to the stakeholders, the chairperson has been using proxies to circulate the calculated rumour that the governor placed embargo on town union election,when the real reason why she is fighting them is because of her plan to perpetuate an illegal caretaker committee that runs counter to the governor’s directive in office.
Obiangwu Stakeholders posited that contrary to that alleged rumour, which they say was an attempt to prepare grounds for the planned assault, Gov Uzodimma never ordered suspension of conduct of town union elections in communities that the tenure of their executive have expired. They disclosed that it was the governor who publicly empowered communities with vacancies in their town union leadership, to hold election to fill them under two conditions.
They listed these conditions as notifying government of the election shedule,and Presidents General whose tenure expired serving as signatory to the fund government gave to communities.
The group stressed that it was that green light from the Peoples governor, and assurances by high ranking government officials, including Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Ruby Emele, after protests against Hon Ibekwe’s undue interference in Obiangwu local politics, that motivated them to start planning for election.
They said the community in line with its culture of absolute loyalty and support to Gov Uzodimma, fully complied with the directives,having notified Hon Emele,and also retained former PG Chief Maxwell Opara as signatory to the government fund.
They said the community has also taken every other necessary step that would help it conduct a democratic, peaceful, transparent and credible election, whose outcome would be deeply rooted in legality.
The stakeholders regretted however, that since election plan was made public, Hon Ibekwe has allegedly told whoever cared to listen that, she was allegedly prepared to spend every kobo of council’s allocation, and use her veto power too, to influence officials of Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to step down the poll, as a retaliation for making the governor to allegedly caution her in public.
They made it clear that it would amount to a wilful and deliberate attempt by her, to drag the governor’s good name and reputation on the mud, by trying to use his name to mask her selfish agenda against the community and its people.
The group, therefore, strongly cautioned her, any other individual, or group, that may be planning to hide under whatever illegal guise, including trying to hide under the highly respected name of the governor, to interfere with the election to shelve such ungodly plot.
They said this advice has become necessary because, having obeyed and complied with all protocols that legitimize the election,
including that by the government, the community would go ahead with its conduct, irrespective of any illegal gambit anyone may
try to use to derail it.
They argued that Obiangwu remains a peaceful, law abiding and progressive community, despite several attempts by the chairperson to throw it into crisis, as shown by her alleged verbal assault on the traditional ruler, HRH Eze Ordu,blunt refusal to allow the Eze to preside over the nomination of the local vigilante,and open support to those fighting the community in different ways, including in the courts, where there’s record twenty cases against the community.
They appealed to the governor to call the chairperson to order, as continued meddlesomeness in the community’s affairs may cause crisis,which will end up affecting APC in the ward and the whole of Ngor Okpala LGA, given that the area is one of foremost members of the party.
