Tension In Isu-Aniocha Community , Awka North Over Suspension Of Two Community Leaders

                

Isu-Aniocha Development Union, Awka North local government area, Anambra state has suspended two officials from the town union leadership for allegedly absconding from their duties. Those allegedly suspended were the Secretary General of the town Union, Chief Innocent Okeke for walking away with minute’s book of the community and the Vice President General, Francis Mkpume for going out with him.

                                          

They were suspended in an unanimous voice vote in an enlarged community meeting comprising of the 8 villages in the community to decided whether election of Igwe of the community should be by rotation or not by rotation. The people elected Vincent Ementa on the interim as Secretary General since the Assistant Secretary was not around at the meeting.

The majority at the meeting agreed to go by voting to determine whether selection of Igwe in ISU-Aniocha community should be on rotation within the 8 villages or not but the Secretary General , Chief Innocent Okeke who allegedly was in support of rotation among the villages warned that he would walk away if that is carried out and when the people filed to vote , he walked away.

                                                

The voting however continued and those who were against rotation of Igwe in the 8 villages won the ballot by 197 votes against 30 votes of those who were in support of rotation of Igwe in 8 villages.  Those against rotation were of the view that all those who are qualified to contest for Igwe should file out for the community to vote and choose among them to avoid limiting the community’s development and growth by appointing a parochial and myopic person as Igwe.

They believed that rotation brings up leaders that are mediocre and should be discouraged while those in support of rotation were agitating because they felt the three large villages are dominating the five smaller villages in the community in appointment and positions. They felt that with rotation they would be able to have representation in their common patrimony.

The community after the election passed a vote of no confidence on their Vice President General , Francis Mkpume and Secretary General , Innocent Okeke having seen them allegedly insisting that Igwe would be by rotation before the President General of Isu-Aniocha Town Union, Chief Alfred Nkwonta, Ikemba Isu-Aniocha who announced for the voting in compliance with what the people wanted.

       When asked to react on why his Secretary General went out with the minutes books and documents of the Town Union , the President General , Chief Alfred Nkwonta described the situation as internal matter and refused to confirm or otherwise what happened but pointed out that there is happenstances like that in other communities.

But former President General of the community, Chief Boniface Enweani –Bond who was at the meeting confirmed the incident and wondered why elected officers for the community should walk away from the community meeting with the minutes books and other documents.

The community asked the Secretary General and the Vice President General of Isu-Aniocha to step aside because the community owns the individual not the reverse and one person cannot stop the community from progressing. They want to force their personal views on the people in a democracy.

Enweani-Bond insisted that their action was condemnable. He is the Sec Gen and not even the PG and even if it is the PG, I don’t think such is done anywhere in the world but we rejected that undemocratic posture. It is like President Jonathan saying one thing and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation changes it at will.

The community decided to do the election of whether to accept rotation for electing the Igwe or not through option A4 and those against rotation carried the day. We know that there are undercurrent moves to alter the choice of the people but it is not possible and it takes only a congress to reverse the decisions taken at the community’s congress.

But the Secretary General, Chief Innocent Okeke speaking for himself and others accused of walking out from the community’s meeting, denied that they did not walk out but sensed danger that the tensed mood may degenerate and decided to avoid the crisis.

Okeke dismissed   the allegations against him and others adding that there was a gang up from one Dr Godson Emebo fro Umudunu village and Bond Enweani  who mobilized people against him because of their villages have been denying the small villages fair representation in the leadership of the community which he challenged.

He alleged that they were trying to undo him after a nocturnal meeting as betrayed by one Bomboy Jacob  from Umelom who without provocation announced that his would vacate the seat as Secretary General . He informed that the meeting was to decide how President Generals, Councilors and Traditional rulers would emerge in the town either by rotation or by election from all qualified candidates.

He admitted that the three villages of Adana, Umuelom, Umudunu and Otoko have been dominating the five smaller villages of Umuomite, Umueze, Umuneri and Ifite Isu hence the five smaller villages wanted rotation between the 8 villages because once the three villages team up , they  would grab everything and we want rotation so that we can equally be represented.

We said voting on rotation or no rotation would not be on individuals but on villages , each village would bring one person to represent them because if we do it on individuals they are many and they would win but on the same strength of one village, the same number of people but the three big villages said no. They insisted it would be on individual basis because their population is very high, so once the President General announced that voting would be on individuals , the five villages pulled out from the election.

Okeke further clarified that they walked out because they envisaged crisis and I left and other Exco members in the five villages also pulled out including myself, the Vice President General  , Assistant Secretary , Auditor 1 , and Chief Provost . They all left with their members but Bond went on with the election. They overpowered the PG and yet they won with only 197 against 30. They are inciting youths against us because they wanted youths to go and burn my house before somebody intervened.

They alleged that I went home with minutes books and other town documents but it was not true, let me tell you that my life is in danger because of these two men as I don’t know what hey have in mind.  We are in the house of the local government chairman now trying to resolve the issues but these three villages have not turned up to now including Stephen Nweke ,  Benjamin Okafor , Andrew .  They are behind this my ordeal. They want to remove me and Mkpume. The chairman Chief Cosmos Okonkwo is from our community and he is trying to resolve it.

But the Owelle of Isu Aniocha , Dr Godson  Emebo dismissed the allegations from Innocent Okeke saying the bone of contention was ‘’rotation or no rotation’’ which he did not handle very well by walking away from the people that elected them. He would have followed the demand of the masses as a leader and conduct the votes as demanded by the general house.

Owelle insisted that the point was that the community moved a motion of vote of no confidence and replaced the two erring officials –Sec Gen and Vice President Gen wondering why the duo should force a large community like Isu Aniocha to do their wish rather than the wish of the people.

‘’I am not happy that they behaved in that line to force the town to toe their minority opinion instead of the town’s decision and to worsen it they walked away from their responsibilities. . What I know is that majority must have their way and minority have their say. The majority said no to rotation and minority wants rotation but the ballot determined that there would be no rotation.

On his part , Chief Augustine Adigwe , Omeluora of Isu Aniocha confirmed the two officials were removed and replaced with interim officials condemning the walk out from the community by the leaders elected to represent them in a democracy.  He decried the seed of discord being sown to destabilize the peace in the community who he accused of trying to force the villages to vote by village instead of individuals during a vote for rotation or no rotation of Traditional ruler and other positions by village by village.  

Former President General Chief Chukwuma Okoye, one time commissioner for Education in old Anambra could not be reached for comment as his village was part of the walk out while Chief Edward Ezenwa , Odu of Isu Aniocha could not be reached as at press time.