Anambra Community petitions Obiano over brewing Leadership Crisis

A cross section of people from Umuomaku Community in Orumba South Council Area of Anambra State has called on Governor Willie Obiano to urgently address the leadership tussle in the community to avert eruption of violence.

Addressing news men shortly after the Umuomaku Representative Assembly Meeting (URA) yesterday, the group accused the President-General, Mr Robert Obi of undermining their collective will and passed vote of no confidence on him.

According to them, the town union has been enmeshed in leadership crisis over issues of alleged financial impropriety, high-handedness, arbitrariness, irresponsiveness and irresponsibility on the part of the President-General which is about to cause crisis in the community.

Embittered by the actions, Umunabu village has called on the PG to look into the issues on ground and follow the UPU constitution in conducting the election.

 In a letter signed by representatives of seven (7) wards in Umunambu village , Umuomaku and made available to Journalists, they dissociated themselves from what they tagged “high handed, unilateral and undemocratic rule embarked upon by Chairman of Umunambu village, Mr Sylvester Onyeji and his cohorts.

They further urged the PG to ensure that the constitution is being followed to ensure sanity in the process, even as to avoid the looming crisis in the community.

Contributing in telephone call, the Secretary-General of the town union, Mr Okechukwu Akanegbu frowned at the present selection process in which the incumbent PG wants to use to conduct election of the new Town Union Executives as his tenure is coming to an end.

He said that, “On 30th of December 2019 Umuomaku held their kingship election but before the election, series of meeting were held both at the Exco level, representative level and at the general assembly, and within those meetings, election committee was constituted and inaugurated, budget was made and PG released money to the electoral committee. The three contestants for the Igweship were Dr. Solomon Eboh who emerged as the winner having scored the highest vote of 882 votes, seconded by Chief Ezenwa Livinus who scored 433 votes while the third contestant Chief Ifeanyi Ogbuwa came 3rd with 428 votes. And according to the constitution of Umuomaku Progressive Union (UPU), whoever scores the highest vote automatically will be declared the winner and for that reason, Dr Solomon Eboh having scored the highest vote was declared the Igwe elect by the electoral chairman of the electoral committee. 

Akanegbu recalled that in December 31st, 2017, that there was suppose to be a general assembly meeting where the igwe elect will be presented to the community according to the constitution but the President General cancelled and postponed the meeting to be on the 5th of January 2018 but to their greatest surprise, the President General picked some people and held the same meeting he postponed. The Secretary General, PRO, Social Secretary and some other people were not informed of the meeting. And the out come of the meeting and resolution made at that meeting was not known to anybody. 

According to him, On the 3rd of January 2018 the day the igwe elect was suppose to be presented to the house, the President General called him on phone to summon the meeting of Exco, he reminded him that it was the day he postponed for the General Assembly meeting. The PG now informed him that the meeting will not hold and that the election has been cancelled. He emphasised that the election was open-secret  ballot and not option A4 because they objected the option A4 which was not in the constitution. Okechukwu said that the chaos in the Umuomaku Community was their plot to remove him as the Secretary of the town union and plan to suspend him from the Umuomaku Progressive Union (UPU).

When contacted on phone, the PG of the town, Mr Robert Obi denied the allegations leveled against him. He promised to call back as he was on transit but he never called as at the time of filing this report.