Nigeria Content Online

The ranks of the Anambra State
Association of Town Unions have been polarized following the succession
crisis that has hit the 177-member body.

Last weekend, the state government
stopped the conduct of an election aimed at producing a new executive
for the union, citing the union’s flouting of its constitution.

A state official, Obuekwe Okoli, head
of department of the ministry of chieftaincy and town union matters,
had stunned a large gathering of union members who had come to elect a
new leadership at the Amawbia Town Hall, Awka, with the announcement
that the election had been postponed indefinitely.

He said the union could not conduct the
election because some members had carried out amendments in the
constitution without registering same with the Corporate Affairs
Commission, the way the former constitution was registered.

“Today’s election has been postponed
because government has directed that the election must conform to the
Union’s constitution,’ Mr. Okoli said.

He also explained that government’s
intervention was occasioned by the invitation of the association that
it should supervise the conduct of the election, as a stakeholder in
the activities of the union.

But the government’s decision has been
criticised by some members of the union. Rob Ezeife, younger brother of
a former Anambra State governor, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, said he suspected
foul play and infusion of politics into the activities of the union.

Mr Ezeife, who is contesting for the
chairmanship of the body as the candidate from Anambra South, expressed
doubts that the directive actually emanated from the governor whom he
described as a stickler to the rule of law.

“The outgoing executive could not claim
ignorance of the amended constitution, as they were elected on the
basis of that constitution,” he said. “What they are doing now is an
attempt to shift the goal post in the middle of the game.”

Against tenure elongation

The drama trailing the postponement
was further heightened when, shortly afterwards, a group which claimed
to be members of the union’s Board of Trustees and which said it spoke
on behalf of the BOT chairman, Chimezie Ikeazor, alleged that the
postponement was a climax of the plot by the dissolved Innocent
Onwubuya-led executive to elongate its tenure.

Alex Okoli, who said he was secretary
of the union’s trustees, said the tenure of the executive headed by Mr
Onwubuya expired on December 4 last year and was dissolved through an
appropriate motion to that effect. Owing to this, he pointed out, any
action carried out by Mr. Onwubuya will be deemed illegal.

He accused Mr Onwubuya and the last
executive of purposely trying to jettison aspects of the amended
constitution that did not favour them, especially the issue of zoning
which, Mr Okoli said made it clear that it was now the turn of the
south to produce the chairman.

Mr. Okoli also expressed surprise at the announcement by the government official, saying his actions were suspicious.

“First of all, he told us he had come
as an observer. Then he said he had come to conduct the election,
before finally saying he had been mandated to stop it,” Mr. Okoli said.

He said the board of trustees had
decided to verify the alleged government directive but maintained that
the union had no executive currently and the board had taken over the
leadership pending the conduct of a credible election in the nearest
future.

“The Board of Directors has taken over
the leadership in the interim. We urge all the town union
presidents-general to remain calm as peace will soon be returned to our
union. The trustees are working assiduously to ensure the conduct of
credible elections very soon,” Mr. Okoli said.

Mr. Onwubuya could not be reached for
his reaction as he hurriedly left the venue and had refused to answer
several calls made to his line.