by Kene Amazuoke
Baring last minutes manoeuvres, the former governor of Abia State Dr. Orji Uzor-Kalu is set to bounce back to political reckoning through the forthcoming elections of the Apex Igbo socio-cultural group Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth and Women wings which is coming up on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April 2014 in the Ohanaeze Ndigbo National Secretariat located in GRA
Enugu.
Following the decision of the Ohanaeze NEC to constitute the popular organs of the body, the post of the National Youth Leader was zoned to Abia state. The five southeast states, according to the guideline issued by the Celine Ugwuoke-Adibuah led Youth Election Committee are to provide ten delegates each while Delta and Rivers are to bring five delegates each. It was also agreed that the delegates from these seven states will make up the voters; thereby frustrating the plans of a powerful cabal in Ohanaeze Ndigbo to manipulate the elections through the introduction of phantom “diaspora” delegates and non-existing “affiliate” bodies.
Orji-Uzor’s interest was aroused when the Abia State President of Ohanaeze Elder Emmanuel Okparanta, and the woman leader Lady Ada Ochor conceived a plan to hijack the process and institute their stooge. They approached Uzor-Kalu who is from the same locality with Okparanta and sold the idea to him. The former governor bought the idea and released funds to them after nominating three candidates to them but with a firm instruction to deliver one Ben Kalu as the National Youth Leader; he also released to them a war chest of N2m to them to start execution.
With a fat pocket and a candidate to sell, the state president and the woman leader incorporated the Nationa Vice-President Abia Chief Ndimele and the National Legal Adviser Barrister Ifeanyi Olunkwa, and together they decided to levy contestants the sum of N25,000 with an aim to scare candidates that are not financially buoyant. The group also decided to frustrate the efforts of popular candidate especially for the post of National Youth leader With the screening for the elections fixed for Monday 31st March 2014, the Okparanta clique got a whopping sum of N1m from their patron to mop up forms for phantom candidates, with the hope that Okparanta will use his position as the Deputy Chaiman of the Youth Election Committee to canvass for the candidates to be include as voters in the elections. This move met a brick wall as the Chairman of the Committee Dr (Mrs) Celine Ugwuoke Adibuah is insisting that only delegates from the state will stand as voters. However reports are coming in that Adibuah will soon shift ground when she takes delivery of the sum of N1m earmarked for her.
In a bid to further their plans, the Orji Uzor-Kalu clique are now releasing funds to other states like Imo and Delta whose Presidents are dormant and at war with the vibrant, functional and progressive youth structures to tow their line and “sell” their delegates to them, a move which is been resisted by Igbo youth who are insisting that the Dr. Ukaegbu and Ifeanyi Onwukamike factions are not recognised in the Ohanaeze Youth Scheme of things. However, the refusal of the electoral committee to screen one Joseph Mekwunye whose name is not in the Onwukamike list on the day of screening and the screening of five persons shepherded by Dr Ukaegbu two days after the screening are questions begging for answers.
Information reaching us states that the Abia group which intends to teach the governor Chief Theodore Orji a lesson for abandoning them in favour of the National Executive Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo have decided to get money from the government with the pretext that it will be used to cater for the welfare of Abia candidates to the Youths and Women election while it is actually meant for their campaign for their candidate whom they aim to use in the senatorial bid of Orji Uzor Kalu in the 2015 election.
Information reaching us states that the Abia group which intends to teach the governor Chief Theodore Orji a lesson for abandoning them in favour of the National Executive Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo have decided to get money from the government with the pretext that it will be used to cater for the welfare of Abia candidates to the Youths and Women election while it is actually meant for their campaign for their candidate whom they aim to use in the senatorial bid of Orji Uzor Kalu in the 2015 election.
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