…. Okija Community set for another showdown with Ernest Obiejesi
The Emeka Anohu Campaign Organisation has called for the immediate arrest, by the Police, of Nestoil’s President/CEO, Mr Ernest Obiejesi for allegedly engaging in political violence and massive destruction of sensitive electoral materials during the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Ihiala Federal Constituency, Anambra State.
This is even as the Okija community is set for a fresh showdown with Ernest Obiejesi, who is also a Director with Julius Berger PLC, for attempting to rewrite results already counted and announced by INEC Officials in the presence of the people at the booths and wards before moving them to constituency collation centre at Ihiala local government headquarters.
Reacting to what it called “copious lies in the media in a desperate bid to cover up Ernest Obiejesi misadventure”, the statement signed by the Director-General of the Campaign Organisation, Hon. Nath Ikwuka and made available to newsmen in Ihiala at the weekend, said Mr Obiejesi was bitter because his effort to bribe and coerce the people at the polling units or have election results doctored at the constituency collation centre in favour of his newfound political godson and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, candidate, Chudy Momah Ifeanyi, failed.
The Campaign Organisation said Mr Obiejesi, having failed to disrupt the orderly conduct of the elections, “unleashed over a thousand thugs on the Okija community and the collation centre at Ihiala, where he personally led them in an orgy of violent destruction of vehicles and sensitive electoral materials like ballot boxes and papers which were carted away and dumped in the gutters but were recovered by security forces”.
It added: “The sole intent of Obiejesi was simply to burn down the collation centre, totally destroy collated votes, and cause the cancellation of the election in the Federal Constituency, having failed to deliver his candidate even in his own polling booth at Umuezedam.
“He laid an all night siege on the collation center as he arrived there at8.00pm on Saturday and didn’t leave till about 7.30am the next morning. Obiejesi arrived there with 500 Million Naira in cash and pressured INEC officials to announce Momah winner even as collation was still on. But thank God they knew that the fear of Prof Jega is the beginning of wisdom. And we thank God for the timely arrival of security agencies that overpowered and arrested many of the thugs. It needs to be reiterated that we have concrete evidences to tender before the court”.
It commended the people for standing up for good representation by not only massively electing Hon. Emeka Anohu of the PDP as their Representative, but for also stoutly defending their votes.
The Campaign Organization decried the Nestoil boss’ uncommon quest for power, noting that “Obiejesi had pitched himself against man, God, and the law”.
“Election is not a do-or-die affair, but those who want to make it so should be ready to face the law because telling barefaced lies in the pages of newspaper against the same people Ernest Obiejesi and his thugs maimed and tried to kill in the bid to upturn their votes will not save him from the long arms of the law”, it stressed.
It alleged that Ernest Obiejesi had “mobilized thugs to attack Anohu family and Okija people but our people are waiting for him, while the security agencies, which have already declared wanted are also on the lookout for him”.
Meanwhile, speaking under the condition of anonymity, an elderly community leader in Okija said the town would meet during the Easter holiday where the businessman may likely be sanctioned for terrorizing the town with hoodlums and sponsoring falsehood against the Anohu family in particular and Ihiala in general.
He further said: “It is on record that Hon. Emeka Anohu was elected a Member of the Anambra State House of Assembly in 2011 where he defeated the same Chudy Momah, and having performed excellently, why shouldn’t we elevate him to the National Assembly?”
“His 25,024 votes in this election as against Chuddy Momah’s distant 12, 744 and APC’s candidate and the incumbent, Fort Dike’s 4,268 is a testimony of his popularity, philanthropy, and quality representation at the State Assembly”.
“Both Obiejesi and his boy are characters we are quite uncomfortable with, hence Anohu’s endorsements even before the elections because choosing between him and his contenders was like choosing between light and darkness”.
