By Adaeze Onuora, Abakaliki
Following the Forthcoming of Amaeze Development Union Election (ADU's), the Chairman Of Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State, Chief Emmanuel Ajah and the Amaeze community Chairman Mr John Okorie have accused each other over attempt to impose unpopular candidates for their people, which resulted into engaging a dirty fight and as well as, causing crisis and destruction of properties in Ishiagu.
The information has it, that the fight between Ajah and Okorie, ensued when he (Ajah) announced that the Amaeze development Union, ADU's election will hold on August 12th, 2023, but Okorie opposed it, and insisted that the election must hold on 26th, August, 2023, as allegedly stipulated by the constitution of Amaeze community.
Recall that a judgement delivered by Iheanacho Chima, in Ebonyi state High Court of Justice, Ishiaka in Ivo LG, on July 2017, in suit No. HAK/20/2016 between Okereke Chinedu Joshua and others verses Uchenna Anyim and others, held that election of the Amaeze Development Union, ADU, be held on 26th of August, which according to Okorie, the Union has been conducting it's elections on the said court approved date.
In their seperate reactions, Mr. Ajah who spoke to newsmen in Abakaliki, blamed the outgoing Chairman of Amaeze development Union,, ADU, in Ishiagu of attempt to cause another war, killings and destruction of valuable properties belonging to the innocent citizens of the council area.
Ajah also, denied the alleged claims by Okorie of attempt to hijack the forthcoming ADU's election: "I don't have anything against the outgoing Amaeze community Chairman, Mr. Okorie. This man has caused a lot of damages to people in my place. Let me tell you, when he (Okorie) was a Youths President, he caused crisis that led to the death of some persons.
'The same Okorie came as a chairman of Amaeze community, and no fewer than five (5) persons died in his tenure, when he was trying to have an interim government. Now, he is going out from office and he wants to cause another crisis, so that people will die again, that's why I said no, it's not possible.
'The problem is that, his (Okorie) tenure as the chairman of Amaeze community will end on 21st of this August 2023, but he wants election to be conducted on 26th, of this August, 2023. I told him (Okorie) that election will hold on 12th of this August, 2023 and by August 21st, he will handover to the new person, but he insisted that election must hold on 26th, I told him (Okorie) that it's not possible to conduct election on 26th, when his tenure had expired on 21st.
He berated the outgoing Amaeze community Chairman Mr. Okorie for staging the arrest of the committee chairman on Peace and Conflict Resolution, Ivo LGA, Mr. Orji Elijah Okechukwu by the police, and dragging him (Ajah) before the commissioner of police, department of state services, DSS, and the State government.
In a swift reaction, the Amaeze community Chairman, Mr John Okorie said that the council chairman Emmanuel Ajah has no right to interfer with the community's election and can't fix a date of election for them.
Okorie noted that Amaeze community has a constitution that regulates the conduct of it's elections and requires no external influence to conduct election
'The chairman of Ivo LGA, Emmanuel Ajah has no right to conduct election for Amaeze development Union, ADU. It is not part of his duties as chairman of Ivo LGA. Amaeze has a constitution and there is no crisis in it now, except the one the chairman, Ajah is trying to bring now. Article 7 of the Amaeze constitution stipulates, how elections should be conducted and we have been doing that.
'At the moment, there is no crisis or any problem, except that the chairman, Ajah has been going about since May 2023, boasting that he will install his preferred candidate as chairman of Amaeze community, and he (Ajah) is from another community called Iyi, and not even from Amaeze ward. What is his business coming to conduct election for Amaeze?" He stressed.
Reacting on the alleged killings of some persons in Amaeze, Okorie said: "what ordacity does he (Ajah) have to be attributing crisis that people died in, it was the same imposition that he (Ajah) is trying to bring into Amaeze now, was the same imposition they did in 2021 that caused the crisis that claimed the lives of three (3) people" he stated.
Responding, the governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, who spoke through the commissioner of local government and Chieftaincy matters, however waded into the crisis, and invited the council chairman Ajah and Okorie, including their supporters to a meeting in his office, as away to resolve the crisis, added with the consensus agreement that the election holds on this August, either of the dates should not cause problem.
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