Bayelsa State Government has given members of Odioma Chiefs’ Council in Brass Local Government option to either withdraw their membership of political parties or resign from the traditional leadership council.
The state government has constituted a six-man peace and reconciliation committee to look into immediate and remote causes of the communal unrest and insecurity threatening the peace of Odioma community.
Governor Douye Diri spoke yesterday at an enlarged meeting with the chairman and members of Odioma Chiefs’ Council and other stakeholders of Odioma at the Government House, Yenagoa.
He said his administration would not tolerate breakdown of law and order at Odioma or any other community.
He advised them to live together in peace and avoid actions capable of causing a recurrence of the 2005 experience during which soldiers invaded and destroyed Odioma.
The governor, represented by his deputy, Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stressed the need for Odioma Chiefs Council to remain apolitical and proactive in addressing communal issues.
He warned that henceforth, members of the Odioma Chiefs’ Council, who belonged to a party, should either resign from the council or withdraw his party membership, to enable him lead the people without divided interests.
He said: “Under our watch, we cannot allow history to repeat itself at Odioma, because we all witnessed what happened there in 2005. We want to avoid a recurrence of that.”
“For now, the police will remain there until we have resolved the major issues. Secondly, Council of Chiefs, you have to be more proactive and live up to your responsibilities.
“This idea of trying to give party aligning is not your duty as chiefs. If you are a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or an All Progressives Congress (APC) member, from the day you were elected as chief, you drop that party membership card because they are irreconcilable.
“So, I want you the chiefs to know this: once you are a member of the Chiefs’ Council, quit PDP, quit APC. As you are leaving here, PDP members go and resign your PDP membership; likewise APC members go and resign your APC membership. If you are not ready to do that, then resign from the Chiefs’ Council.”
The six-man Odioma Peace and Reconciliation Committee has the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Biriyai Dambo (SAN), as Chairman, while the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, CP Akpoebi Agberebi (rtd), is to serve as Secretary.
Other members of the committee include the lawmaker representing Brass Constituency 2 at the House of Assembly, Timi Omubo-Agala; the Technical Adviser on Conflict Resolution, Chief Boma Spero-Jack; the Commissioner of Police, Ben Nebolisa Okolo and the state Director of Department of State Services (DSS).