A community leader, Chief Jubilant Igelige, has urged Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to discountenance the narrative that the leadership crisis in Oleh town has political colouration.
Igelige, the Udueni of Oleh in Isoko South Local Government, made this known in a statement issued and made available to reporters yesterday.
He recalled that to prevent breach of peace in the town, a Delta State Chief Magistrates’ Court halted the conduct of election into the leadership of Oleh Community Development Association (OCDA) scheduled for December 28.
Chief Magistrate B. O. Williams had granted the interim order stopping the election following a motion ex-parte filed by aggrieved members of the association led by Chief Israel Onokurefe.
Igelige said the crisis was not as a result of party politics, but alleged manipulation, violation of the association’s constitution and state guidelines, levelled against the former President of the OCDA, Chief Believe Alakri.
“It is sad to note that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had been made to believe that the intra leadership issue in Oleh is a fight between Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) or Grace Mission.
“It is worrisome and abysmal for a few PDP leaders, who could not win their units, to go to the governor and twist issues that the fight in Oleh is between PDP and SDP or Grace Mission in order to whip up sentiments and get support from the governor
“The grounds upon which the court order was granted are salient and legally impeccable, having breached Oleh Community Constitution and Delta State Community Development Law 2021.
“The tenure of the man behind the veil, Chief Believe Alakri, expired on December 28, 2023, and his insistence to plant a surrogate as President General of Oleh Community, who will cover his misappropriation, is unacceptable.
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“We appeal to the governor to be wary of such people who are initiators of disunity and crisis, so as not to mortgage his image,” he said.
According to Igelige, if the immediate past leadership of OCDA had taken cue from the leadership qualities of the governor, the ongoing rancour in the community would have been averted.
“Your Excellency, it is in the public domain that when you were Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA), you severally and voluntarily rendered account of stewardship to the Hallowed Chambers.
“You returned a huge N532 million to the state treasury, and left hundreds of millions of Naira in the Assembly’s coffers for the incoming Speaker and members to hit the ground running.
“Your Excellency, I do not think Oleh people are asking for too much by requesting that transparency and accountability should be the hallmark of the immediate past leadership of OCDA,” he said.
Igelige, a former Special Assistant on Youth Development to an ex-Delta governor stressed that the failure of the outgoing leadership of OCDA violated the constitution of the association.
‘The constitution of OCDA stipulates rendering account of stewardship which the outgoing leadership fails to do.”
He said the unfounded blackmail, politicising the issues were deliberate tactics to shy away from rendering the account of five years stewardship of the outgone leadership.
He admonished the former leadership of the community association to render the account of hundreds of millions of Naira they allegedly spent in five years
The lawyer also called on Governor Oborevwori, to discountenance the blackmail and deceit of party colouration of the crisis and keep to his transparent mantra.