Bloody crisis is currently looming at Isoko nation of Delta state, South-South Nigeria over leadership tussle that is consuming the Isoko Development Union (IDU) an umbrella body of the Isoko nation.
As the tussle is said to be taking another more bloody dimension, the Isoko Development Union Caretaker Committee Chairman, Sir. (Chief) Charles Akeni (ksc) has warned and threatened that nobody should dare attend the Union’s proposed national conference billed for Saturday, 10th, September, 2011 at Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South council area of the state saying that people will be handcuffed if they contravene the Court ruling by holding what he called an illegal proposed IDU conference.
According to the Caretaker Committee Chairman, the ex-president general, Elder Peter Erebi as he referred to him, was properly and constitutionally removed by the annual general conference of 27th December 2008 and was again legally removed by the Court on 3rd August 2009, they appealed against this ruling and their appeal was struck out and no Court has vacated that August ruling.
The caretaker Committee Chairman Chief Akeni made this disclosure at his country home in Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State in a chat with Journalists on the state of Isoko Development Union.
The Isoko leader said the chat was a good opportunity to educate the Isoko people on what he called a purported ruling against the Caretaker Committee that a loyalist of the ex-exco is carrying about. “That paper is a figment of their imagination and they do not understand what they are parading.”
Chief Akeni explained that what the IDU Caretaker Committee had in Court was not even with the ex- exco which, in all intents and purposes was no more in existence, having been earlier removed by the 2008 IDU AGC, was a desktop interpretation of the IDU 2003 constitution, vis-a-vis the supreme position of the annual general conference to remove an exco and put in another. So that in future, nobody in Isoko, no matter how highly placed can supplant the AGC and upturn her decisions adding that this review will still continue. He therefore warned that pending when the desktop review of the constitution is properly done and/or the 2009 court ruling that removed the ex-exco is vacated in court, which he knows is impossible, no other group apart from the caretaker committee of which he is Chairman, has the right to call a general conference.
Talking about his achievements, Chief Akeni said the peace and unity of Isoko Development Union has been his priority, “We are trying to set IDU on a proper path by removing internal crisis and giving the AGC her rightful power, we want IDU to be a more disciplined and civilized organization to regain its prominence so that eminent sons and daughters of Isoko can associate with it and finally uplift it to a globally recognized level. This we have been doing quietly, he said.
He said another priority for his led Caretaker Committee was to complete the building of the Isoko House regretting that “IDU has been a homeless organization. This must change permanently.” Chief Akeni explained that a contractor was mobilized to site by DESOPADEC and work had started when one Delta State House of Assembly member in Isoko went there, drove the contractor from site and destroyed everything saying that it was alleged by Isoko leader that the Honourable member was to get the contract but lost the bid hence the lawmaker was angry.
He asserted that the case has been reported to DESOPADEC and as soon as the first milestone is paid to the contractor, work will start again and hopefully before January 2012 ending, the project will be completed and hoped that the next AGC will be held in that building end of this year, completed or not completed. The Caretaker committee chairman says DESOPADEC has also promised to progress and complete the main building of the Isoko House and prayed the promise is kept.
Meanwhile when contacted, the embattled President General, Elder Erebi has vowed to carry on with the proposed national conference as according to him circulars have been sent out already to all branches and delegates across the nation and beyond.
