ORLUZURUMEE ELECTION 2016: PROF.J.C
AGWUNOBI ,THE ELECTORAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN,
SPEAKS:
There have
been some conflicting
reports in regard to
the holding of the
2016 election of Orluzurumee National Excos which has
not yet been conducted. In this brief encounter with a
media professional, John Mgbe, the
Chairman of the election Committee,
Professor J.C Agwunobi, makes clarifications
on the issues that border on the forthcoming Orluzurumee
election. Please read on:
Prof,
there is a need
to briefly unveil yourself
so that the readers
can know the personality
that is addressing
them
Thank you; I’ll
briefly introduce myself. My name is Professor Sir Jonathan Chukwuma
Agwunobi. I am by the grace of
Almighty God, the first Nigerian
Professor in Peace-Building and Conflict Resolutions. I have been brilliantly global
in locating the root causes of conflict
issues. And beyond the conventional
university system, I walked in and out
of Danjuma Hall at Command and
Staff College Jaji and National War College, Abuja educating senior
Military Officers on
conflict issues and military matters for
more than two decades. My books are
of global consumption in my area of specialization and
my CV speaks for me. For elections, I never
abused my professorial reputation
as a
returning officer for INEC in 2015 elections in Imo State and I will
not abuse it for
Orluzurumee election. This is my integrity
profile.
PROF,
there are conflicting
reports on when
the Orluzurumee Exco election
will take place. As
the Chairman of the Election
Committee, you may wish to throw
more light on
this contentious issue. In fact , one account had held
that the election
would have held on
Wednesday, 6th, July,2016.
I am not even aware that there are conflicting reports
on the date of the
exercise. I have just heard from
you that one
of the local
newspapers published the purported
date of the election without facts. Is that how you practise journalism in
this country?”
Shocked
by the story
that a newspaper
had already published
a date for
the Orluzurumee election, Professor Agwunobi said that he
had been wondering how anybody
could proceed to hold
any election without the
knowledge of the Electoral Committee Chairman. It was at
this point that he went on to
speak on the Orluzurumee 2016 election
and why it has not
been conducted.
Hear
Professor Agwunobi: “A
seven-man electoral committee
including myself, Professor J.C. Agwunobi, as
the elected Committee
Chairman was in a
general meeting of Orluzurumee nominated
and inaugurated into
action only to
discover the following
constraints:
The
Board of Trustees(BOT) has
not responded to the committees budget
submitted to it
for funding the election. As I speak, the
Committee is still
waiting to get the money
to conduct the
election from the BOT, and as you know , there is no way
you can conduct election of this magnitude
without fund. It’s not possible. In addition to
the committee waiting
for the BOT to release
money for the elections, Orluzurumee cannot
function as two factions
in Orlu, hence the crucial
and desired need to reconcile
the existing factions in Orluzurumee in order to make for a peaceful election
and the functional existence
of one
body of Orluzurumee as a cultural
organization in Orlu zone. Engineer
Peter Ohagwam, the Special Assistant to
His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha on
Peace and Conflict Resolutions has been asked
to remove and reconcile
the factions from the body
of Orluzurumee.
Engineer Peter Ohagwam in his
wonderful reconciling wisdom has
almost finished his
work on reconciling the
factions on Orluzurumee. After
this, the electoral committee can
now carry out a de-factionalized election. With the issues of reconciliation and
funding redressed, I appeal
to the contestants
to bear with the
electoral committee as it strategizes to
issue a date
for the election .“
Speaking
further, Professor Agwunobi
hammered on the fact that
“His Excellency, Governor Rochas Okorocha in his gracious mind
for the search for
organized oneness of a united Iboman both at local and Ibo nation levels
built a very befitting
secretariat for Orluzurumee at Orlu. May God forbid that this beautiful
effort of His Excellency suffer fractionalization from Orluzurumee.”
In
conclusion, Professor J.C Agwunobi said that “ it is very important here to note
that I accepted to
serve as Chairman of
the Electoral Committee
because I have the
knowledge and the convincing integrity to carry out the task in
a free and fair manner. Indeed, I am a member of Orluzurumee and I know
its benefits as a cultural organization to the people of Orlu zone. It
is my focus that Igbo
people must learn to allow Igbo
organizations benefit the masses instead
of running the interest of some greedy individuals
in our midst.”
Meanwhile,
The BOT chairman, under the
chairmanship of Barrister Reuben Okoro,
has dissolved the
Local Government Chairmen of Orluzurumee for overstaying their constitutional tenure of three years and appointed a three-member caretaker committee
in each Local Government
Area(LGA) to partner with
the Professor Agwunobi-led Electoral Committee to
work together and announce a
date for the Orluzurumee election.” Professor Agwunobi frowned
at a situation
where there has not
been any election
in Orluzurumee in the
last seven years, a situation which
he says does
not speak well of
Orluzurumee constitution that
limits office tenure to
three years.
It will be
recalled that an
Owerri-based newspaper , (not this
paper) had in its
edition of June 28th- -July 1st, 2016 ruffled feathers
when in its
news story entitled: ”Orluzurumee BOT gets 10 days Ultimatum for
elections” it gave the
impression that the
Orluzurume election would
hold in the
next 10 days. Professor Agwunobi
had wondered how
any editor would
publish a report
on the date
of any election
without the courtesy
of seeking clarifications from
the committee in
charge of such
election.
He
commended the editors
of some newspapers
which had severally sought
his input prior
to publishing any
stories that affects
the Orluzurumee election.
The bottom line
of this report
is that members
of Orluzurumee Union should
seek clarifications on
the coming election
from the Chairman
of the Election
Committee and newspapers
who wish to
publish news about
the election should
seek clarification from
the appropriate office, i.e. the Electoral Committee Chairman instead of
publishing reports from
the grapevine.
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