Awgbu Community Elders Protest Alleged Govt Interference in Town Union Election

Elders of Awgbu community in Orumba North Local Government Area have called on Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo to wade into a perceived leadership crisis rocking the community to avoid breakdown of law and order.

Elders of the community who briefed journalists in Awka on Thursday said they were unhappy that despite a glaring breech in the community’s constitution by an opposing faction, the state government through the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Collins Nwabunwanne was getting ready to hold election in the community for the faction, which they described as illegal group.

The elders of the community in a press conference begged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to wade into the matter to forestall breakdown of law and order.

Leader of the community’s elders’ council, Chief Theophilus Okoli in the briefing said there are indications that the commissioner was backing an illegal group to hold election, against their own faction, which they said was authentic.

They also noted that the commissioner has threatened to use security agents to perfect the town’s election, this coming Saturday, with the intention to foist a leadership favourable to him on the town.

Okoli while reading from a text from the community said:”We draw the attention of our dear governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo to the present and continuing threat by Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Collins Nwabunwanne to precipitate anarchy in our town.

“He is bent on foisting leaders on our community, and we do not know what his interest is. He plans to hold election in our town, in disregard to our community’s constitution.

“He is not an indigene of Awgbu, which is a prerequisite for membership of Awgbu Progress Union, which was formed in 1940s, neither is he nor the ministry he superintendents recognized as an organ of the union that can summon of Awgbu Progress Union.

“We are through this medium pleading with our erudite governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo who Indigenes of Awgbu voted massively in high expectation to stop the honourable commissioner from carrying out his unconstitutional threat, which will plunge Awgbu into chaos.”

Awgbu town union election was due in December 2020, but was stalled through litigation. The two opposing factions have however slated Saturday 14 May, 2022 and 18th May 2022 respectively for the election.

Meanwhile, Hon Nwabunwanne while reacting to THE RAZOR NEWS denied allegations of attempting to foist a leadership on the community, stating that he had no interest in the election, but to ensure that the right thing was done.

“I have the constitution of all the communities. There is no way we can breech any community’s laws. We have a legal team here, what happened in Awgbu is that they have a court case stopping election, I invited both parties and pleaded with them to withdraw the matter for election to go on, and the faction which instituted the matter did, and we fixed a date for the election. The election will hold on Saturday.

“What I think their problem is, is that some of them don’t want the election to hold. They want some people who are popular to be disqualified from the election, because they see themselves as the kingmakers of the community. But we said no, we want peace, and since they have accepted that there should be peace, let everyone contest the election. Now they are turning around to say that we are threatening them,” the commissioner clarified.