…as Igwe Iweka III cautions youths against crime, cultism, hard drug intake
By Chuks Eke
Barely eight months after the assassination of Chief Ikechukwu Okolo, the elected President-General of Obosi Development Union, ODU, Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state, by yet to be identified assassins at a petrol station in the area, the community at the weekend, elected a lawyer, Chimezie Obi as the new President-General of ODU to pilot the affairs of the community for the next four years.
His election which took place at Obosi Town Hall, however coincided with the expiration of the four-year tenure of the slain Okolo-led town union executive, during which Obi and 14 out of 15 other executive members of the ODU were also elected, except the post of Financial Secretary which was not filled as a result of the late minute disqualification of one of the two contestants, Ernest Chinwendu Okoye.
Although the election was adjudged to be the most credible, transparent, free and fair, the disqualification of Okoye, one of the contestants for the post of Financial Secretary, nearly marred the entire exercise, safe for the wisdom applied by the electoral committee.
Okoye had at the floor of the election venue complained bitterly that he was wrongfully disqualified at the zero hour of the election, even after he was abinitio cleared to contest along side the other contestant.
His complaint resulted in the suspension of the election of the post of Financial Secretary, which gave rise to the election of 15 out of 16 other positions of the town union executive.
In his open protest, Okoye who lamented that he was wrongfully excluded from the election, even as he is suitably qualified to contest the position, contended that the powers that be had plotted that his only rival would contest and win with the removal of his name from the list, which prompted him to petition the election body and which eventually resulted in excluding the office from the list of offices being contested for, adding, “As it is now, we are waiting to know what will be the next line of action”.
But in a swift reaction, the Electoral Committee Chairman, Sir Dan Igbokwubili who described the exercise as transparent, free, fair and credible, told newsmen that Okoye’s disqualification came from the state Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Town Union Matters, adding that the post of financial secretary would remain vacant until the state government gives a go-ahead order to conduct a by-election for the post.
During the keenly contested election, Obi, a legal practitioner based in Abuja, scored 106 votes to defeat his four other rivals, Ejindu, Amala Ichu, Joel Mgbemena and Apostle Ichu who scored 27, 11, five and three votes respectively.
Other elected officials included Ikenna Jibuike Ndubuisi, 1st Vice President (146 votes); Ilodianya, 2nd Vice President (156 votes); Anthony Amaifobu, 3rd Vice President (106 votes) and 4th Vice President (156 votes).
Others were the Secretary-General, Amala Egbuonye who scored 70 votes to defeat his three other rivals, Chimezie Obidike, Emeka Iredu and David Ibezue; Assistant Secretary-General, Daniel Ekwulugo; Treasurer, Nwobosi, Ivan Okafor, Assistant Social Secretary; Provist Marshall, Provost 2 and Provost 3, Publicity Secretary, Social Secretary, Auditor, Auditor 2, Legal Adviser 1 and 2.
Speaking shortly after they were sworn in by Mr. Tony Onyekammelu who supervised the election on behalf of the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, the newly elected PG, Obi commended the people for the confidence reposed on him and promised to do everything humanly possible to restore peace and tranquillity in Obosi, with the assistance of the royal cabinet and other segments of the community.
Obi said he would place education, security and infrastructural development in top priority, adding that all the jobless and uneducated youths in the area would soon begin to enjoy free education and learning of different types of trades to be sponsored by the ODU as according to him, since the state government is hammering on election of professionals, nothing stops our youths from going to school and learning various types of trades to become the professionals needed to fill the vacant positions both at the town union and state levels.
At the Palace of the traditional ruler of Obosi, Igwe Chidubem Iweka III, Eze Obosi, where the newly elected executive were presented to him for his royal blessings, Igwe Iweka prayed God to grant them spiritual and physical assistance to carry everybody along in the development of Obosi Kingdom.
Igwe Iweka specifically charged them to work on the psyche of Obosi youths so that those of them who are still engaged in hard drugs intake, cultism, cyber crime and other social vices, would come out of the ugly trend, embrace education and learn different types of trade to become useful to themselves and the society, rather than constituting nuisance.
According to the monarch, “Obosi has prominent sons and daughters like Chief Emeka Anyaoku and a lot of others who have served and are still serving the society at both national and international levels and they did not climb to such a ladder with cyber crime, cultism and hard drugs consumption “.
