30/05/2022
Sunday, 29 May 2022.
THE OVOKO-AGU TOWN UNION ELECTION.
The Ovoko-Agu Media Team has been following happenings in relation to the election of a new Executive Committee, to pilot the affairs of the Ovoko-Agu Town Union, for some time now.
It is pertinent to recall, that the tenure of the immediate past Executive Committee, had elapsed many years ago. The rightful tenure of the Town Union Executives, should be for a period of four (4) years, as we gathered.
The Ovoko-Agu Media Team has been digging deep into the consciousness of our community members, and various stakeholders to unravel the reasons behind what seems to be a perpetual tactical delay to conduct the said election.
From the opinions of the majority of the people we interviewed, it seems that some people have constituted themselves into a cabal, with a determination to use every available excuse, to foment trouble in our peaceful community. People who are fingered as being part of this sect-like group are said to see every other person as an ignoramus. They had held sway in our community over the years; and have been latching on different gimmicks to delay the election of the Town Union.
The anticipated end result is to prolong the election date as long as practically possible, and or to constitute a shabbily organized Caretaker Committee, using quasi-democratic principles, and making the Igwe look like the arrowhead.
The permutations, according to some sources, are to delay the D-day when the immediate past Town Union Executives may be called upon to give account of their stewardship during their tenure.
It is no longer a secret, that there were allegations that the sum of five (5) million naira, that was donated by the Enugu state government to our community, was substantially embezzled.
In a similar development, the Ovoko-Agu people are also very much aware, that there was a borehole project that was brought to our community, amounting to about ten (10) million naira. The project was never executed successfully, and the money is nowhere to be found, according to some community sources.
In addition, there are mounting allegations that over the years, the monies accruing from the sale of the borehole water (which many people believe had always had very poor quality), have never been properly accounted for.
At the heart of all these is also a constitution, believed in some quarters that the immediate past Executive Committee of the Town Union wants to use for the conduct of the election. The said constitution, as we learnt, has never been read to, and or endorsed by the General Assembly of the Ovoko-Agu people. Many have indicated their fears that this is meant to disenfranchise some people from participating in the election; and that this will be a recipe for endless chaos in the community.
The Media team interviewed Igwe Barrister Simeon Nnadi a couple of days ago, to get his views on the issue of the Town Union election, and other related matters. Igwe had indicated that he was the brain behind the delay of the election, as he wanted to have his staff of office before engaging in any formal activities. He categorically, stated that he has dissolved the committees set up at different times, to conduct the election. Of importance also, is the fact that the Igwe stated that he dissolved the Executive Committee of the Ovoko-Agu Town Union.
When asked about his knowledge of the invitation of the DSS in matters of our community, he stated that he has no issues against that, as it is legal and that the tradition of reporting matters to the Council of Elders, the Ovoko-Agu General Assembly, or the Igwe in Council before reporting same to the Police is practiced out of ignorance as same is contrary to the Nigerian Laws.
Many have faulted his position. According to those who have a different view, the Igwe’s postulation negates the tradition observed by our forefathers over the years, as a means of maintaining internal peace, and social cohesion in the society.
Our further findings revealed that the Igwe’s blanket condemnation of the Ovoko-
Agu People’s dispute-settling-mechanism as above stated, is wrong. The Media Team was informed by those who believe in a different school of thought, that the Igwe’s position can only be right if the tradition is that; in no circumstance shall anybody report a matter to the Nigerian Police or any other law enforcement Agency. The traditional procedure of first reporting a matter to the Council of Elders, The Ovoko-Agu General Assembly or The Igwe in Council for the purpose of attempting settlement before reporting the matter to the Police is not in any way contrary to any known law in Nigeria. They opined that as a matter of fact, Courts in Nigeria and the Nigerian Police advocate, and support out-of-court or Police settlement. Going by this line of thought, it seems that our forefathers were wise. As a matter of fact, running to the DSS, the police, and other law enforcement officials for any issue concerning the community may portend a bigger danger for the community in the future, as many believe. It may be an acceptance by the leaders of our community that there is a dearth of internal conflict resolution mechanism, and hence, may be seen as a failure of leadership.
The Igwe had maintained, that he consulted widely before arriving at his decisions. When the leadership of the Ovoko-Agu Youths’ Assembly (OYA) was approached by our media team, they stated that they were not consulted by the Igwe before he took the decisions, and wondered how wide his consultation was if the Youths were not considered as part of the people to be consulted in a matter concerning the community. The OYA leadership stated that they are also very much in the know of various efforts by some unscrupulous individuals, to destabilize the OYA.
But in all these, the stability, safety, and progress of our community are of paramount importance.
From the pulses of our people, what seemed to be an acceptable way to resolve all these, was for the Igwe, the Council of Elders, and other leaders, to call for a meeting of the Ovoko-Agu General Assembly. Power belongs to the people, and it could have been a great idea to allow them to decide their fate.
We are privy to a letter written by the Igwe to various segments of the community requesting them to nominate their representatives for a Caretaker Committee for the Town Union. Many people believe that this move by the Igwe would not suffice, because our people want to elect new Town Union Executives, but not a Caretaker Committee.
Events seem to have overtaken all these because we were reliably informed that the Ministry of Rural Development Enugu state, has invited the Igwe, the Ovoko-Agu Elders, the Youths’ Assembly, the immediate past Town Union Executives, and other representatives of our community, to a meeting in Enugu. There are speculations that this meeting may not be unconnected with issues around the Town Union election. The meeting as we learnt, is slated for the 1st of June, 2022. Our people are eagerly looking forward to the day of the election.
Many had looked up to the Igwe to proffer amicable solutions to the issues at hand. However, how he moves swiftly, with genuine and unbiased perspective, to assist in resolving them, will surely determine, the achievements and or otherwise, the community will record under his tenure.
A stitch in time they say, saves nine.
