By Okey Maduforo Awka
Against reports that the hometown of Anambra Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim , Mbaukwu in Awka South local government area has been thrown into crisis over election of President General, Commissioner for local government and Town Union Matters Chief Tony Collins Nwabunwanne has dismissed reports contending that the election was suspended temporarily.
Recall that three persons had indicated interests to take part in the proposed election which is being stiffly contested in the midst of pockets of unresolved village issues.
According to Nwabunwanne there is no crisis in Mbaukwu town adding that the proposed election would still hold while stakeholders are currently meeting to settle some gray areas that should not be allowed to remain pending while the election is being conducted.
“Before now they have been having one or two issues or the other and what they want to do is resolve them and they requested that they resolve those internal issues so it is no big deal ”
“There is no problem it is just for them to reconcile their internal issues and most of the stakeholders don’t reside in the community and it is during the festive seasons that they can meet and come together ”
“They see it as an opportunity to come together and settle those gray areas and then hold the election and you know that elections cannot be conducted in such an atmosphere in any Community in the state and they requested that the election be postponed temporarily so that they reconcile and them conduct the election ” he said.
Similarly contestants in the proposed election have carpeted the reports about crisis on the election noting that they unanimously agreed that the election be postponed temporarily.
Spokesman for the contestants and Vice Presidential candidate Bldr Chijioke Okeke said;
“We had our general meeting on the 27th of December to conduct the election on the 28th of December but before then we had some peace arrangements to fine tune some issues concerning minor village issues as a matter of fact we could not resolve them before the date of the election”
“So because Mbaukwu is a peace loving and law abiding town and we want to have a better Mbaukwu where all citizens of the town will be participating in the development of the community hence the temporary postponement”
“So the state government deemed it proper to shift the election and recognizing the role of Mbaukwu in community development and by them the foundational requirements must have been reached and we salute Gov Charles Soludo for his efforts in ensuring peace in all the communities in the state and his moves towards sustainable peace in the state ” he said
Presidential candidate of the town Dr Emeka Okafor described the report of crisis as the handiwork of fifth columnists aimed at destroying the peace in the area urging the public to discountenance those reports.
