‘Imposition of leadership’: 75-year-old farmer leads protest in Anambra community


A-75-year old farmer, Mr Ikechukwu Oji, Monday, led over 100 others to protest against alleged imposition of caretaker committee in administration of Ndiowu Town Union, Orumba North Local Government Area (LGA) Anambra state.
The protesters, who went to Anambra state government house and state House of Assembly, also lashed out at their son of the soil and Majority Leader, Anambra state House of Assembly, Mr. Emeka Aforka, for allegedly not supporting the move to get elected town union executive since 2014.


Some of their placards read, “Emeka Aforka no more room for you in Ndiowu,’ Caretaker is over in Ndiowu,’ ‘End Canal in Ndiowu,’ ‘Ndiowu deserves good and people oriented leadership not caretaker”.
According to Oji, the most worrisome situation was that the appointed officers whose tenure was to end in three months had unconstitutionally stayed up to five years.


On his part, Ndiowu youth leader, Mr Obiorah Mgbemena, lamented that the community conducted town union election in 2016, 2017 and 2019 but they were all rejected by their brothers in government who alleged that Governor Obiano’s administration were uncomfortable with the outcome of the polls.
“These so called ‘bigshots’ from Ndiowu rather went ahead recommending appointment and reappointment of a caretaker committee leadership in our town. The caretaker committee has nothing to show since five years and they are not showing interest to conduct election or vacate office. 


“They are busy embezzling the funds giving to our community by the government. They cannot show us where they utilised the N20 million community choose your project (government sponsored infrastructural development) given to our community two times” Mgbemena added. 
Also speaking, Mrs Obiageli Nwafor, while stressing that women tasked themselves N500 each to build an ultra modern market at Orie Bagu market only for the caretaker leadership to ‘lie’ to government that they were products of the N20 million government sponsored projects, appealed for urgent governor Obiano’s intervention to restore peace to Ndiowu.


Addressing the protesters, Secretary to the State government, Prof. Solomon Chukwulobelu, asked the community to remain law abiding as he would transfer their grievances as contained in their protest letters to Anambra state ministry of local government, town union and community affairs for immediate actions.
Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Uche Okafor, was yet to address the protesters where they stood at the entrance gate, obstructing movements to the legislative complex as at press time. 

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