Umueri Community Insists On Vote Of No Confidence On President-General, Deputy

By Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Umueri General Assembly in Anambra-East Local Government Area of Anambra State has insisted that it is not going back on the resolution of vote of no confidence it had earlier passed on the President-General Mr. John Chukwudi Metchie and his Deputy Mr. John Udenze, following allegation of gross misconduct in office against the duo.

Executives of the town union in an elaborate resolution highlighted varying degrees of offences and allegations bordering on financial improprieties, high-handedness in office coupled with autocratic cum unilateral decisions capable of plunging the entire Umueri in unending crisis.

Umueri General Assembly jointly agreed in a resolution signed by 9 out of the 14 members of the town union executives and outlined very weighty allegations and offences committed by the PG and his Deputy which they addressed to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo through the office of the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Town Union Matters, the office of the Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU) and copied the Police, DSS and others just to save Umueri from imminent jeopardy.

The vote of no confidence signed by UGA executives reads, ” We the Executive members of Umueri General Assembly hereby pass a vote of no confidence on Johny Metchie and his Deputy Mr. John Udenze. This action is based on the number illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic activities of the President-General and his Deputy capable of plunging Umueri into serious crisis.

“The President-General Mr. Johny Metchie is hell-bent on towing the part of ignominy, recklessness and autocratic in the discharge of our collective responsibility.

“He singlehandedly and without consultations, set up a committee that mismanaged the leadership crisis in Ikenga Umueri and today, the once very peaceful Ikenga Umueri is now in court.

“He singlehandedly without consulting his executives, started giving official recognition to the so-called ” Ndi-Igwes” in Umueri within the same Umueri that has no autonomous communities.

He singlehandedly without consultations with his executives set up a coronation committee for yet another traditional ruler in Umueri. He singlehandedly without notifying his executives, obtained and expended various monies donated by Umueri sons in diaspora.

“He received a donation of N400,000.00 from Umueri sons in South Africa and spent the money without the knowledge of his executives and till date he has not deemed it necessary to inform us.

“He received another donation from Umueri sons in America; an undisclosed amount and till date he has not also declared the sum. He has also spent the money.

“He received another two million naira with the name of UGA from an anonymous person and went ahead to personally spend the money without consulting his executives. He has made several withdrawals running into millions of naira from our UGA Account domiciled with First Bank Otuocha Branch in cohort with his financial secretary. All these were done without official consultations with his executives.

“Within six months interval, he has withdrawn several hundreds of thousands ( N100,000.00, N650,00.00, N300,000.00, N200,000.00, N150, 000.00) and many other withdrawals too numerous to mention from UGA Account without the knowledge of his executives. This can be seen in our bank statement of account.

“He is the only one that has access to the CCTV cameras mounted at different locations of our community. He has refused all advice to redistribute the surveillance cameras through expanded monitoring personnel.

“On assumption of office as President-General Umueri community, he sold two of Umueri security vehicles plus motorbikes and has not accounted for the money till date.

“Sir, it is for these reasons and many others too numerous to mention, we hereby pass a vote of no confidence on Mr. Johnny Metchie the President-General of Umueri community and his Deputy Mr. John Udenze and therefore plead your urgent action before things degenerate any further.”

Signatories to the resolution of vote of no confidence on the PG and his Deputy include Mr. Achnike Ivekwu-General Secretary, Mr. Ifeanyi Offorkansi-Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ofoma Nwakonuche-Provost iv, Chief Obiora Ajide-VPG, Mr. Ojadi Kenneth-Auditor 1, Tochukwu Chidebelu-Treasurer, Comrade Nzedigwe Kachi-Asst. Secretary, Mr. Timothy Anidumaka-Provost 1 and Evang. Ikechukwu Amutaigwe-Welfare Officer.

Furthermore, Umueri General Assembly (UGA) opined that rather than respond or address the weighty allegations highlighted by none others than his co-executives as contained in the resolution of vote of no confidence on the PG and his Deputy afore stated, Mr Johny Metchie went and gathered few unidentified and identifiable funny characters who are not elected members of UGA to respond on his behalf.

UGA executives also noted that in one of the letters dated 30th June 2023, written and signed by elected members of Umueri General Assembly, they had called the attention of the governor through the office of the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Town Union Matters to seriously caution Mr. Johny Metchie before he throws Umueri into crisis.

But Mr Johny Metchie in his usual obstinacy has therefore by self prompt helped UGA in identifying those in cohorts with him in destabilizing Umueri as seen in the recent letter addressed to the governor.

UGA Executives in another counter resolution maintained that the purported letter of vote of confidence written by the few identifiable characters is not only self serving but a misplaced priority. They said that the characters behind the letters does not have the mandate to interfer in the matters of UGA Executives because they are not elected members.

That while the characters in question were in a haste to pass a vote of confidence on Mr Johny Metchie, they failed to address the points raised by the UGA elected Executive members. In fact, Mr. Johny Metchie through them, did not deny any of those allegations raised by the executives as contained in that letter.

That in a bid to masturbate the over bloated ego of Mr. Johny Metchie, they embarked on lies and outright falsehood about the achievements of Mr. Johny Metchie as President General of Umueri. The lies according to the UGA executives are, ” The claim that Mr. Johny Metchie has improved security in Umueri is a total falsehood and media propaganda. Only recently, Ivite Umueri Community Secondary School was vandalized and all government’s property carted away. This has become a recurring event in that school.

The Government Technical College, Umueri is constantly under attack and at the mercies of vandals with no help in sight, same thing goes with the Migrant Famers School Umudiana to mention but a few, all these are government institutions that can be verified through the principals of the schools.

The walkie talkies and CCTV cameras mentioned by these characters were all donated by individuals from Umueri both home and abroad.

The claim that Mr. Johny Metchie constructed the Ikenga New Ultramodern Market is a bareface lie and very insulting. For the records, the Ikenga Umueri Ultramodern Market is being built by individuals who were allotted land space to build and develop. Neither the UGA nor Mr. Johny Metchie contributed a dime in the building of that market which is still under construction.

The claim that under Mr. Johny Metchie as Umueri PG, that lots of roads have been constructed across Umueri is yet another lie. Infact, the money (millions of Naira) given to Johny Metchie by one of our illustrious daughters to do some palliatives on our road has not been accounted for till date.

In summary, we wish to appeal to your office to set-up a fact finding committee to investigate these false claims made by these characters. I am sure you will be marveled at the results you will get.

The worst is the recent distribution of palm and coconut seedlings allotted to town union, Mr Johnny Metchie asked us the executive to do collection of names but to our surprise we never knew when he collected the seedlings and diverted it to his private farm. ”

The Executive Members of Umueri General Assembly emphasized without equivocation that Johny Metchie is plunging Umueri community into crisis by inauguration of a coronation committee, without consulting his executives and that the said Committee will coronate him Igwe in the community. Although UGA executives said they are aware that Anambra State Traditional Rulers’ Law supersceded Umueri constitution and that currently there is no provision for autonomous community or a parrarel Igwe in the state law. Hence they are not ignorant of the provisions in the state government law and will not stay idle and watch Umueri community thrown into crisis because of the ambition of one man.

UGA still posited that the president general intentionally plunged Ikenga Umueri quarter into her current crisis thereby creating a vacuum in the governing body as they have passed through stages of fighting one another; shedding the blood of their youths in the village square coupled with police random arrest as well as litigations at Otuocha High Court pending when the court will give its judgement. That the PG contracted a senior advocate (SAN) who is presently championing his coronation. That Nneyi village from where the PG hails from is not exempted from the crisis as they have been fighting the battle of supremacy over who will control a segment of the village youth leadership which has culminated into shootings recently in the area while some youths ran for their lives.

That the PG’s leadership style of destruction and destabilisation of Umueri community through creation of chaotic atmosphere to achieve his motive has been shifted to Ivite Umueri where he seemed to have created a committee of men of questionable characters who are desperate and if not checkmated will plunge Umueri into perpetual problem the entire community will live to regret. That the Anambra State Government should call Mr. Johny Metchie to order because Umueri can never be a tale of one kingdom with many monarchs especially as the PG has boasted that no one can stop him from becoming an Igwe in a community where there is no vacancy in the traditional stool.

When contacted as at 12:44 pm on Friday for him to respond to allegations levelled against him and his Deputy by the Executives of Umueri General Assembly, the President-General Mr. Johny Metchie did not respond to phone calls from our correspondent.