Leadership tussle for community Town Union allegedly tears stakeholders apart in Ebonyi

The leadership tussle for the emergence of a new executive for the Ekoli-Edda Town Union also known as Ekoli Bound of Hope has begun to tear stakeholders of the community apart as some are of the view that an election into various positions be conducted, while others have aligned themselves with the inauguration of a Caretaker Committee for the Union.

This development is gradually creating tension in the community as four military bases were said to have been set at different locations within the Edda Local Government Area of the State, to nip at the board, any form of unforeseen crisis.

A stakeholder and Commissioner for Internal Security, Hon Prince Etta Uka Ude had blamed the former Council boss of Edda LGA, Hon. Eni Uduma Chima of unleashing his “boys” against anyone opposed to the idea of an election for the new executive of Ekoli Bound of Hope.

The Commissioner further accused the Ex-lawmaker of bias towards the decision of the State government to inaugurate a Caretaker Committee for the Union in Edda.

But in a swift reaction, yesterday, the former Council boss of Edda LGA, Hon. Eni Uduma Chima who described the move for the installation of a Caretaker Committee for the Union as political, debunked the claim that his “boys” were beating up youths in the affected community.

“Talking about people that were beaten, if people were beaten, that’s out of my knowledge and of course, the police is there for them to make their report and investigation to be done. But, we are used to their false allegation as they have been framing up youths of Ekoli to the extent that we have 51 of them in prison on serious capital crimes and once they’re taken to court, due to the level of the said crimes they have been alleged to have committed, they’re dumped in the prison.

“The other day, my younger brother and a solicitor of Supreme Court was accused of killing somebody and burning down the house of Stanley Emegha and was arrested with soldiers. The police intervened and the local DPO did a nice job as he was intercepted and taken to the Police preliminary investigation showed that he was not in any way near Edda on 26th December 2022 and that he only went to Edda on 4th of January and police absorbed him of the very heavy malicious criminal allegation with capital punishment and released him.

“Ebonyi State Police Command has been doing a marvellous job. They have brought over 50 allegations against my people and to the glory of God, 90% of them are found to be false and the rest found to be over-hyped.

“I am aware that the people wrote as indigenes of Ekoli-Edda community to the government and privately, Stanley told them at Centenary City that he’s in their support and told them that he might not participate because he was still mourning and even gave them N50,000. The fact is that he knows that in any election in Ekoli, they will not get up to 5 per cent votes, so, those they want to impose on the community will not get a vote and that’s why they went and planned the imposition of the Committee.

“Let me correct an impression, they said my boys, I don’t have boys anywhere except my children who are in school, and supposed that the government wants to impose somebody or group of people who are not acceptable to the community and have been part of the problems of the community, what can they do? they will accept, but common sense should tell you that they will not enjoy a high level of relationship with the people because they were imposed.”

He blamed the ugly situation on those he described as the enemies of the Ekoli-Edda community adding that they had masterminded the arrest of about 51 youths of the community on baseless grounds..

“It was done with bad intention, with malice and the aim is to put Edda into chaos because they’re jealous that we can organize ourselves to churn out the highest votes; this attempt to impose a caretaker committee is political.

“The enemies of the community who’s working with few disgruntled elements who felt that because they killed somebody in the community with Ebubeagu and the community reacted, that they need to take their pound of flesh on the community; they’re now collaborating with political actors without Ekoli community to bring the crisis in Edda.

“There’s no crisis in Edda. The people are peace-loving. The community has been harassed, but we only thank God that to a large extent, the army has been professional in their conduct when we give them vital information, they have been able to remain neutral and not take sides and we will continue to preach that they be professional in their conducts. But, we will let the whole world know what’s happening.

“It will interest you to know that in Edda, we already have four army bases, one at Nguzu junction, Iyere, Igboeze town square Ekolli Edda and army base at Amangwa and Stanley Emegha is planning to set the 5th and maybe after that, the 6th and 7th one, and that’s intended to harass.

“If you need a lot of soldiers for the caretaker Committee to operate, that means he took an unpopular decision and that’s not the kind of thing the government of Governor Nwifuru wants to hear. He’s community-minded, a welfarist and interested in the security and welfare of the ordinary people. They’re politicizing crime in Edda generally and Ekoli-Edda precisely. Most of the things you hear are over-hyped, in Edda, Afikpo South. I have been a Council Chairman and we had the lowest crime rate and I speak with authority.

“So, the issue of Caretaker Committee would have been justified if there was a crisis, but there is none and if the executive of that town union has been working against the programs and policies of the government or if the executive is made up of bitter opposition members who are sabotaging government activities, but this is not the case, rather the Caretaker Committee are made up of people who are of a particular political group and course we know ourselves.

“Assuming without conceding that, the caretaker committee were made up of people who are neutral, or not so much interested in politics or outrightly apolitical, we would have allowed that to slide, but to bring members of a political faction to impose and suppress the will of majority is not acceptable to the people and when they approached me, I requested them to make their concerns known to the authority and government of the day and I think they’re following the appropriate channel.”

According to him, “To impose a caretaker committee on any community in the name of town Union executives, it must be that there was a crisis, but in the case of Edda, it was the announcement of the purported caretaker committee executive that sparked off the crisis.

“Before that announcement, Ekoli was calm and peaceful, there was no problem, and funny enough, the executive of Ekoli Bound of Hope’s elected tenure will be expiring on the 8th of December, 2023, which is less than one month today somebody is announcing that he’s dissolving the elected executive to impose a Caretaker Committee on the people.

“The government has the right to impose a caretaker committee on the people if there’s a crisis, but in Ekoli-Edda there’s no crisis and even if there’s no crisis the executive is opposing government programmes, policies and directives; the government can dissolve the executive of that Union but in this case, the community is a staunch supporter of Governor Nwifuru’s administration. The Ekoli Bound of Hop Union executive and Ekoli-Edda community have been in support of the government of the day.

“It’s a pro-establishment town Union that’s always supporting the government. Let me give you an example. It was this community that gave the largest number of votes in the entire Ebonyi South in the last general election and second to the Izhi Community. In Edda, the Governor got about 14,000 votes and out of it, Ekoli-Edda gave Governor Nwifuru over 9,000 votes and so, there’s no basis to warrant the purported dissolution of Ekoli-Edda Bound of Hope union executives.”

The former lawmakers who stated that the Union was established in 1933 explained that “We are structured that whatever you are to do in the community, for you to meet success, it must be in tandem with the traditional structure of the community. The people in charge of the community are Ukejiego people, comprising the ruling age grade, made up of people that are 75 years and above from the twelve villages of the community. “

“Ekkoli Bound of Hope Union is the mother Union of all village Organizations and associations in Ekoli-Edda. It was established in 1933 which is over 90 years now and we have a constitution which sets up the town Union executives and stipulates the way and manner that the town union should be operating that constitution, is still in existence and has not been abolished.

“You dissolve the town Union on the radio and you didn’t clear from them, how you think they will allow you to operate and next to them is the Igboeze Council of traditional rulers, made up of village heads, the Ezenkwas and whatever you are seeking their consent for, will have a smooth sail. This was not done; they do not see any of these people purporting dissolution of town union executives, and the Commissioner for Internal Security is a surrogate, a quisling of the APC Chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha, and he’s acting his script because Stanley is taking bound of flesh against the community for reacting against the Killing of their youth leader on 26th of December 2022.

“My advice as a stakeholder in government is to involve the relevant Ministries; the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Peace, Border and Conflict Resolution, the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and all the relevant security Agencies to go and conduct free and fair election for the people and the place will be calm.

“I don’t have interest in any position. I contested for the National Assembly position and not Town Union President. All I need is for peace to be in my community.”