As members of Imo House of Assembly stand their grounds on not screening the new twenty seven Transition Committee Chairmen penciled down by the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the newly awaited Council Administrators have gone on their knees begging the Lawmakers to endorse the list.
It would be recalled that the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha recently dissolved the Local Government Transition Committees, and appointed new ones, which most of the Lawmakers kicked against, saying they were not consulted when the Governor prepared the list.
This would be the third time the Governor will dissolve and appoint new TC Chairmen in the Imo LGAs since he was swore-in on May 29, 2011.
While the newly appointed TC Chairmen are battling to convince the Imo House of Assembly to screen and approve their list, a plethora of petitions are flooding the Assembly from various LGAs who accuse the Governor of appointing people of questioning characters without consulting the locals or continuous re-cycling of old politicians in the same LGAs, instead of trying new ones, and empower other people and families.
For instance, a group by name, Owerri North Patriotic Youths Assembly stormed the Imo House of Assembly with a letter for the Speaker, Hon Benji Uwajumogu, questioning the rationale behind appointing yet again Mr Celestine Chucks Ololo for the “third term” in Owerri North LGA at the detriment of other qualified sons and daughters of the LGA.
The Group in a petition signed by representatives from all the towns that make up Owerri North including Egbu, Emii, Naze, Emekuku, Obibiezena etc wants to know why since 2011, Ololo has not been removed from office, even as Okorocha continues to sack other TC Chairmen.
Ololo is the husband to Okorocha’s younger sister and has never been removed from office as TC chairman, and is said to be groomed by Okorocha to be returned as the Council’s elected Chairman when Okorocha conducts Local Government Elections next year.
Hon Blacky Okere, the current TC Chairman of Ngor Okpala LGA, whose name reappeared on the new list again is said to be opposed by the House of Assembly Member from Ngor Okpala who wants the slot to go to another section of Ngor Okpala for equity and justice.
But it is unlikely that Hon Okere will be removed as he is a “Loyal Boy” to the powerful Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr TOE Ekechi who acts as his “god father”.
Luckily for Okere, there are those who agreed that he did better in office than Dr TOE Ekechi’s immediate younger brother, Toby, who was Okere’s predecessor in office.
A Group from Okigwe LGA has also demonstrated against the reappointment rumour of Hon Frank Onwumere as the TC Chairman of the Council.
The Group by name “Credibility Watch” said Onwumere’s regime was trailed by highhandedness and impunity, and would run into troubled waters should Okorocha reappoint him as Okigwe Local Government Transition Committee Chairman again.
Other LGAs boiling over the recent TC appointments are Owerri West, Onuimo, Nkwerre, Isu, Oguta, Ohaji/Egbema, Ehime Mbano, and Owerri Municipal.
Youth Leaders from the various Wards in Owerri North LGA under the aegis of Owerri North Patriotic Youth Assembly, have protested against the appointment of Engr. Chuks Ololo for the third time running as SOLAD of the area.
In the protest letter to the Speaker Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu, dated 18th December 2013, signed by Kennedy Eziefula and eleven others; “We write to you Mr. Speaker to express our disdain and bitterness over the recent nomination of Hon. Celestine Chuks Ololo as the Sole Administrator of our Local Government Area for the third term”.
The people of Owerri North are really shocked with this development and have “really paused to ask ourselves the credentials of this untouchable in-law of His Excellency, Governor Rochas Okorocha” as he (Ololo) has each time been recycled for appointment in Owerri North. Their major source of worry is that “Chuks Ololo has no voter’s card and did not vote for his brother-in-law in the governorship election”.
Regrettably, they say that even in Egbelu Obube where Ololo hails from, he does not enjoy a healthy relationship with the traditional rulers, except the Chief of Staff, Sir Jude Ejiogu whose case is not a better one as long as Owerri North is concerned”.
Continuing, they say Ololo is a political burden and anybody wishing to ride on his back would be taking a great risk. It is of intrinsic worth that Owerri North enjoys a strong zoning arrangement which encourages power-sharing amongst all the four blocs in the LGA”. According to them, that was why they fought the PDP in 2011 for bringing Ray Emeana back for a second tenure.
They recall that Hon. Dan Ikpeazu, representing Owerri North in the IMHA is a product of zoning from OAU ward, the same ward the SOLAD comes from.
Continuing, the youths have wondered whether the political and ezeship problems in Owerri North is not the handiwork of an unseen hand trying to destabilize the LGA, citing the Ezeship cases of Agbala and Egbelu Obube.
Finally, the youth Assembly has urged the Speaker, not to confirm the appointment of Celestine Ololo as there are array of credible politicians like Hon. Udo Agoha, Chief Obinna Asoluka, Sir Barr Tony Umezuruike, High Chief Chukwudi Opara who can be appointed in his stead.
