Council of chiefs protest letter

16th May, 2015 The Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Rural Development, Enugu State. Sir, PROTEST AGAINST IMPOSITION OF TOWN UNION CARETAKER COMMITTEE ON AMANKWO OGHE COMMUNITY Following the Radio Nigeria Enugu announcements allegedly made by the Hon. Commissioner for Rural Development, Dr. Eric Oluedo, on the 30th April and 1st of May 2015, stating that the Hon. commissioner has dissolved all the parallel Town Unions in Amankwo Oghe Community and appointed a caretaker committee with Hon. Geoffrey Ozor as the Chairman; we the council of chiefs and elders of Amankwo Oghe community after due considerations and consultations with our stake holders vehemently reject the purported dissolution of our Town Union and imposition of caretaker committee on us. Our reasons are: 1. Amankwo Oghe community conducted Town Union Election on the 7th of December 2013. Before the election, we the council of chief, the electoral committee, youth representatives and the past executives of the town union were in your office on Monday 2nd December, 2013 and laid a complain on how our Traditional Ruler was using the police to disrupt the electoral process. You the Hon. Commissioner verbally, approved that we should conduct our town union election on the scheduled date and added that you will send representatives to monitor the election. In fulfillment of your promise, the town union registrar, Mr. Godwin Ezilo came and monitored the elections. The report of the election was submitted and received by your office. The said election was conducted according to the provisions of Amankwo Oghe 2011 constitution, which was registered with our local government and it is the constitution that was used to register the Town Union in your office. That constitution has not been repelled. 2. There was no other Town Union election before and after the said election in Amankwo Oghe, since the past administration of Hon. Nwabueze B. Chijioke to constitute parallel town unions in Amankwo Oghe as you claimed. Your claimed existence of parallel town unions in Amankwo Oghe is a frame-up. 3. The truth remains that our traditional ruler, H.R.H Igwe C. C. Obueke, in his despotic manner wants to impose his candidates on the community. Igwe’s dictatorial attitude is not peculiar to the town union but to almost every organs of the community. 4. Months after the election, when one Clifford Okechukwu began to pose as the Town Union President General, claiming his authority came from Igwe, the town union petitioned your office. Your failure to call Igwe to order, which would have settled this matter long ago, compelled us to begin the prosecution of criminal impersonation of our town union President General by Clifford Okechukwu. During the police investigation interview, our elected Town union President presented the report of our election duly signed by the community, while Clifford Okechukwu has nothing to show. Surprisingly, our traditional ruler, Igwe C.C.Obueke, in defense of Clifford, told the police that there is an interim Town Union which Cliffrod Okechukwu is the head. Neither Clifford nor Igwe showed any paper to buttress their claim. The police said they will investigate further to the town union office. Our findings revealed that Clifford Okechukwu met with Mr. Godwin Ezilo to bribe his way out of the impersonation charges against him. 5. It is on record that we the council of chiefs and others on the 27th of April 2015, came with our counsel, Barr. Cordelia Ibe, to see the commissioner and complain again about our Traditioonal ruler’s obnoxious activities. On our arrival, Mr. Godwin Ezilo, after much hesitation that we should not see the commissioner, placed a call on Igwe to rush to their office, even when we told him and the commissioner that it was not our intention to see the commissioner with Igwe. Unfortunately, the commissioner rather than giving us audience pronounced that he has dissolved the town union and mandated the chiefs to give him names for the formation of caretaker committee within 21 hours. We demanded for the commissioner to put his words in writing to enable us react appropriately and for our records. The Hon. Commissioner did not do that. 6. Hon. Commissioner Sir, your hurriedly going to the media, boycotting protocols, to pronounce dissolution of our town union and imposition of caretaker committee is intimidating and has ulterior motives. Your action rather than bringing peace has fueled the crises in the community and it is a serious setback on the community. 7. We believe you did this to cover up the corrupt practices of your staff (namely Mr. Godwin Ezilo), to paint the true picture of the situation in Amankwo Oghe community and finally to jeopardize the prosecution of Clifford Okechukwu, Igwe and his cohorts criminal activities in the community. 8. Recall that you told Igwe sometime in April 2013, when we came to resolve this Igwe’s problem in the community, that his dissolution of town union and formation of caretaker/interim government is illegal and a violation of Enugu State law. The same Geoffrey Ozor Igwe named as his chairman of caretaker committee then is what you now imposed on us. So you end up legalizing the Igwe’s is illegal caretaker committee. 9. Goeffrey Ozor lacked credibility to lead Amankwo Oghe in any capacity. It is still fresh in our minds that at about 2nd quarter of 2010, Geoffrey Ozor lied to the entire community that he has registered and obtained certificate for Amankwo Ndiagu, a sub community in Amankwo Oghe, as an autonomous community with Clifford Okechukwu as his Town Union President General. He ordered all the Amankwo Ndiagu origin to withdraw from the Igwe’s cabinet and town union of Amankwo Oghe. The fake claim of Geoffrey Ozor tore Amankwo apart. It took the intervention of the past Hon. Commissioner for chieftaincy affairs to resolve the matter. Geoffrey was warned by the commissioner never to do anything again that could cause disunity in the community. 10. We are surprise that you pretend not to know that the problem in our community is the Igwe and not the Town Union. Intimidation and injustice can never achieve a peaceful resolution of any problem. Sir, we urge you to trade on the path of justice in this our matter, if you want peace to rain in our community. We demand you immediately issue certificate of returns to our elected town Union President General, Engr. Silas Anonde, and his executives to restore their confidence and enable them continue their legitimate functions. We shall not recognize any other person or persons other than our elected town union executives. Thank you. We the council of Chiefs and representatives of the villages in Amankwo Oghe community signed for ourselves and on behalf of Amankwo Oghe community. 1. Chief Edwin Okechukwu …………………………………………………. 2. Chief Charles Okelue …………………………………………………….. 3. Chief Goddy Onuora ……………………………………………………… 4. Chief Ikwueze Godwin ………………………………………………….. 5. Chief Omeldi Patrick ……………………………………………………. 6. Chief Paul Emehel ………………………………………………………. 7. Chief Felix Obueze ……………………………………………………. 8. Chief Anthony Ejim …………………………………………………… 9. Chief Madu Christopher ………………………………………………… 10. Chief Madu Innocent …………………………………………………….. 11. Chief Francis Ozoagu …………………………………………………….. 12. Chief Ozoudeh Osmond …………………………………………………… 13. Chief B.O Ozor ……………………………………………………………. 14. Mr. Anselem Ohanemu ……………………………………………………. Cc: The Hon. Commissioner for Chieftaincy matters The Hon. Commissioner for poverty Reduction The Executive Chairman of Ezeagu L.G.A The Commissioner of Police Enugu State The Divisional Police Officer Aguobu Owa Hon. Barr. Chima Obieze House of assembly member elect Ezeagu L.G.A