The people who took the protests to Ezza South LGA headquarters on Monday vehemently rejected the move, and maintained that the 7-man interim executive led by retired captain Tiger Njoku Aloysius remains the authentic, generally recognized and accepted town Union leadership of Amudo Community.
In a viral video of the protests seen by our Reporter, the People maintained that one Mr. Emeka Iburu Ezeabata, who is alleged to be favored by the Ezza South LGA Council Chairman, Mrs. Euphemia Nwali, had been unanimously removed as Caretaker President of Amudo Town Union by the entire of people of the Community and cannot continue to impose himself through the backing of the Council Chairman on the people that have rejected him.
Giving insight on the reason for the protest, Chief David Elom, who's the interim Secretary of Amudo Town Union, told journalists that the leadership of the union was dissolved sometime in 2022 by the former Council Chairman, Sen. Kenneth Eze, who appointed Mr. Emeka Iburu Ezeabata as a Caretaker President of the Town Union with a charge to conduct an election of the town Union within three months of his appointment.
"Unfortunately, from that time up till now, he has not been able to conduct the election, neither did he draft the Constitution that he was directed to do on behalf of the community; all those appointed to work with him declined on the grounds that Emeka has no capacity to be a town Chairman," Elom said.
According to him, those appointed with Mr. Iburu included a former permanent secretary, Dr. Emma Nwafor; a former village chairman, Hon. Abraham Ezaka; and others, who declined to work with him as they maintained that he does not have a decent character to be the town union President of the Community .
"Since then till now, there has been a crisis in the community that has led to vandalization, intimidation, and harassment of people courtesy of the same man.
"By last December, the stakeholders of the community returned from home and abroad and evaluated the critical issues that affect the community and discovered that there's a need for them to have a functional town union leadership, and that is why they now asked the man to now step aside since he's working alone without executives,"he said.
Chief Elom further revealed that the stakeholders consequently appointed a 7-man interim executive to manage the Amudo Town Union and were respectively introduced to the elders of the community in a well-attended meeting, led by the eldest man in the community, Chief Nwigbere Agba.
"They all affirmed the decision of the stakeholders, and that decision was communicated to the Divisional Police Headquarters, the DSS, and the local government chairman," Elom added.
However, he explained that while the DSS and police had acknowledged the letters of recognition of the interim executives, the council chairman, Mrs. Euphemia Nwali, rejected it, insisting that the sole administrator they appointed 2 years ago (Mr. Emeka Iburu Ezeabata) continues, despite the crisis in the community.
Elom called on Mr. Emeka Iburu Ezeabata to stop forcing himself to lead the people as he's been rejected by the community and urged the council chairman, Mrs. Euphemia Nwali, to focus on the administration of local government affairs and not impose leadership on a community.
"Emeka Iburu Ezeabata should know that he can't force himself to lead the people; it is the people that will invite you to lead them. The people have rejected him; currently he doesn't live in the village, and since the people have rejected him, it's better he steps aside and allow peace to reign.
"On the 15th of December 2024, we had a meeting with the Principal Secretary to the Governor, and he told the Local Government Chairman categorically that the duty of the local government chairman is limited with the administration.That they should not meddle into the affairs of the community, the community should take decisions and write to the Council Chairman to observe and not to impose leaders on them.
"Therefore, the local government Chairman should concentrate on the administration of the local government and not on the issue of the town union,"he stated. END//
