Many Stakeholders in Ezinihitte Mbaise have debunked the recent allegations by the Community Speaker of Owutu Autonomous Community Chief David Nwoko against the Imo state Commissioner for Special Duties Dr. Ifeanyi Nwachukwu.
It would be recalled that the 24 August 2012 Edition of Weekend Trumpeta carried a story where Chief Nwoko was quoted to have among other things, accused Dr. Nwachukwu who also hails from the same Ezinihitte Mbaise of single – handedly restructuring the Executives of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the area without the party stake-holders in the area. In the report, it was also alleged that the youthful commissioner personally compiled the list of officers of the Community Governing Council (CGC) in all the communities and sent the list to Government House Owerri without allowing the communities to elect their representatives. The Speaker also accused the commissioner of collecting money from communities in Ezinihitte before inaugurating the CGC of each of the communities in the area.
On the allegation of restructuring the APGA Executives in the area, most party Executives and leaders contacted said that the recent slight restructuring in the party Executives in the area was done by the LGA. Executive Committee made up of LGA party officials, elected public officers and political appointees in the area. In his own reaction, the APGA Chairman in the area Chief Stanley Onwukwe had this to say; “I am highly disappointed at Nwoko’s media attack on the Commissioner for Special Duties. The recent restructuring in our party Executives was very minor; it is in line with our party’s constitution and was done to strengthen APGA in Ezinihitte.
Some positions are vacant and needed to be filled. In some cases, some of our officials are incompetent, weak as a result of old age or even dead and we needed to replace them in accordance with our constitution before next party’s congress. I am the party Chairman. We did the minor restructuring with all other officers in our LGA which included political appointees who are members of our party. We all sat with the other party officers and did it. Dr. Nwachukwu alone has no such powers and did not do it as alleged”.
On the compilation of the list CGC officials by the commissioner, most people in the area contacted also denied that the commissioner did not write any list but that the CGC officers were nominated by communities in conjunction with their Traditional Rulers and sent to persons delegated by the commissioner. Accordingly, the Community Speaker of Adakam Amumara Hon. Chimaroke Nwachukwu had this Community Speaker of Adakam Amumara Hon. Chimaroke Nwachukwu had this ‘the CGC officers for my community were nominated in conjunction with the Eze…’
On the allegation that the commissioner collected money from communities before inaugurating their communities’ CGC, most of the Traditional Rulers and leaders of the various communities in the area debunked the allegation saying that there was no time money was demanded or paid to the commissioner or to any body for the inauguration of the CGC in their communities. Some of the community Speakers contacted were shocked at the allegation and condemned the allegation as cheap falsehood. While terming the allegation as untrue, criminal and wicked, the Eze-Elect of Itu Autonomous Community Eze-Elect Emma Nwimo condemned the said media attack on the commissioner whom he said had been trying his best to lift Ezinihitte high.
When the commissioner was contacted, he also denied the report and said that he had always worked for the progress of his area. He mentioned the free health exercise and football competitions he had been sponsoring in his local government since he assumed office as a commissioner and prayed God to forgive Chief Nwoko and his sponsors. He however said that cheap blackmail would not deter him from doing his best in bringing development to his area.
A person from Chief Nwoko’s community Owutu who spoke to our reporters on condition of anonymity said that Chief Nwoko’s grouse against the commissioner might be because he was not nominated to represent the community in the newly inaugurated CGC. On why his community did not nominate him, the source had this to say; “Chief Nwoko left his mechanic business inAbaand took up the position of our community speaker. Since then, he has been very unruly, high handed and has been fomenting trouble in our community”.
