By Tony Okafor, Awka
Elders of Nimo in the Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State have protested the community’s town union election purportedly held on January,2024.
They accused the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Matters, Hon Tony Collins Nwabunwanne of bias and breach of the community’s constitution in the alleged conduct of the elections.
In a statement by the Chairman, Secretary, and Public Relations Officer of the protesting elders ,Ogbuefi Akuluouno Ayiba , Ogbuefi Akuchukwu Muo and Ogbuefi Fred Awagu , they called on the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene.
They said,”We had over 4000 eligible voters who turned up for this election at St Kevin’s Primary School venue for the rescheduled election. These people left after the electoral body announced the postponement of election due to court
order.”
The said the press briefing was to address the the anomalies witnessed in the conduct of Nimo Town Union Elections held on January 4, 2024 , describing it as an administrative rascality by Mr. Commissioner.
The elders’ statement read in part,” Gentlemen of the press, we have invited you today to state our displeasure with the way the Nimo Town Union Elections were observed in breach by the Hon Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Matters, Hon Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, on January 4, 2024.
“What happened on January 4 were not elections but a flagrant abuse and rape of the Nimo Constitution. You must agree with us that any society not governed by laws will be like animal society.
“The Nimo Town Union Elections were originally scheduled to hold on December 27, 2023, a date usually set aside for such by the town’s constitution. But that day the town’s constitution was turned on its head in a manner that suggested a hidden agenda by the Commissioner.
Continuing they said,”First, he said that those who had served the first of their two tenures as VP 1, 2 and 3 should not re-contest and they were disqualified against the provisions of the town’s constitution that stipulates two tenures. This is very strange.
“This decision was taken during a meeting in Awka presided over by the Commissioner with those he handpicked.
“Secondly, on the day of the elections a court order originated by a party, dissatisfied with his disqualification, was served on the electoral committee which, acting on it, announced the postponement of the elections. The chairman of the electoral committee and the secretary explained to the Commissioner that they would not go ahead with the elections because of this court service but the Commissioner went ahead with the exercise without the electoral body. Another strange development.
“Against the provisions of the Nimo Constitution, the Commissioner conducted the elections with an improvised register, asking the few people around to write their names and quarters. This led to strangers from Abacha, Eziowelle and even Abakaliki, writing their names and were allowed to vote.
“Now we ask, can elections be conducted in Nigeria without the electoral body and without a voters register? The Nimo Constitution provided that only those who are financially up to date can vote and be voted for. This was thrown aside by the Commissioner.
“Again there was a court suit querying the qualification of some candidates which was ignored too.
“For example, Engr Daniel Anakpe who was later declared the winner of the PG election by the Commissioner, only attended the meeting of the Nimo National Assembly once as against three years prior to the election year as enshrined in the Nimo Constitution.
“Some other candidates for other positions had same issue but were cleared in error by the electoral committee, while few others didn’t even purchase the form nor were they screened, but Mr. Commissioner allowed them to contest as against the Electoral Committee guidelines and as the Town Union Constitution provides.
THE ELDERS’ STATEMENT FURTHER READ:
Efforts were made by people to be shown the register where those candidates marked attendance to meetings but the registers were not produced by the Nimo Town Development Union, NTDU, on the grounds that the Electoral Committee had postponed the election due to the assumed irregularities surrounding the election which metamorphosed into litigation.
Before then, one of the candidates for VP 1, Hon Chigbo Anadebe, who was a member of the electoral committee, had been suspended for partisanship and he has not yet accepted his suspension, but he went ahead to contest for the election without buying form or being screened.
Again, another of the VP candidates just joined the Town Union about 4 years now but has never attended the NTDU General Assembly meeting for once but the Commissioner allowed him to contest for the election.
The Nimo Constitution provided for secret ballot which the Town Union Electoral Committee adopted but the Commissioner insisted on Option A4 for his assumed inordinacies.
Also, the Commissioner has no right to conduct an election as he’s only supposed to be an observer but he conducted such in Nimo and this amounted to what we call administrative rascality.
In all, we reiterate that the Nimo Town Union Elections were marred by gross irregularities and constitutional breaches and cannot stand.
We therefore, as peace loving and concerned elders of the town, call on Mr Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to not only call his Commissioner to order, but to put machinery in motion for the rescheduling of the elections as and when due. We insist that the process must be right so that justice will be served. It is total bastardization for your Commissioner who knows the law to come to Nimo, a great Community that has produced Supreme Court Judge (Justice A.I. Iguh Rtd), Chief Justices of Anambra State (Justice A.I. Iguh Rtd, Justice F.G.C. Uyanna Rtd and Justice G.U. Ononiba Rtd), Appeal Court Judge (Justice Chinwe Iyizoba Rtd), host of other Judges, SANs, over 10 Magistrates, over 100 Lawyers, over 30 Professors, over 55 Medical Doctors of high repute, Federal and State Permanent Secretaries and Directors, and a host of other dignitaries, and Mr. Commissioner out of his inordinacies made himself a demigod simply because he is married to a Nimo daughter and threw Nimo into anarchy and lawlessness; what an administrative and conjugal rascality!
We trust on the sagacity of Mr Governor to do the right thing, address this anomaly and call Mr. Commissioner to order, knowing full well that Nimo Community is Soludo, and Soludo is Nimo Community.
Thank you Gentlemen of the Press for gracing this Press Briefing and God bless you all, as we eagerly await the actions of Your Excellency Prof. Charles Soludo in curtailing some excesses of Mr. Commissioner, using Nimo and Neni as a case study of his administrative high-handedness. A stitch in time saves nine.
