Don’t hide under Uzodimma name to create crisis in Obiangwu community, stakeholders warn Chika Ibekwe,, others
The people of Obiangwu Autonomous Community in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, have raised the alarm over alleged plot by Executive Chairperson of the council, Hon Chika Ibekwe to scuttle its scheduled town union election, hiding under the guise of obeying instruction from Imo State Governor Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma.
The community in a statement issued by Obiangwu Stakeholders Forum on Monday, August 18, 2025, signed by Hon Emmanuel Agbakwuru and Hon Chukwuma Anuforo, said reliable information at their disposal indicates that the chairperson is perfecting plans to allegedly use the governor’s name as cover to pursue a self serving agenda of suspending a legitimate town union election,which the town plans to hold on Saturday,August 23, 2025.
According to the stakeholders, contrary to rumors being peddled by those close to the chairperson, that Gov Uzodimma has ordered suspension of conduct of town union elections in communities in which the tenure of their executive have expired in the LGA. It was the governor who publicly empowered communities with vacancies to hold election to fill them with new leadership.
The Community stressed that it was this go ahead order from the Peoples governor, that motivated it to set machinery in motion for the conduct of election to elect a new executive to pilot the affairs of the community following the expiration of tenure of the Chief Maxwell Opara led executive.
According to them, the condition which the governor handed down to communities wishing to conduct elections was that they should formally notify the government of such plan before holding election. They explained that the community which has maintained absolute loyalty and support to Gov Uzodimma and his 3R administration, since he came into office, has since fully complied with that directive.
Consequently, the stakeholders opined that it would amount to a deliberate and wilful attempt by the chairperson to cause damage the governor’s good name and reputation, by trying to use his name to scuttle a legitimate town union poll that due process, and every necessary legal stipulation was adhered to in the course of its planning.
Apart from the governor’s directive, the stakeholders highlighted thst the community had also taken other necessary steps it considered necessary for the conduct of democratic, peaceful, transparent and credible election that’s deeply rooted in legality.
The group, therefore, strongly cautioned the chairperson,any other individual or group, that may be nursing the thought of using any illegal guise, including trying to hide under the highly respected name of the governor to interfere with their election to perish such ungodly plot.
They said they gave the above advice because having obeyed and complied with all protocols that legitimizes the election,
including that by the government, resorting to
illegality to try to scuttle it, would mean deliberately trying to create crisis in the community.
The Stakeholders stated that Obiangwu Community has always been a peace loving,law abiding and progressive community, and earnestly wishes to continue to remain like this, hence the their call on those planning to undermine the community to stop immediately.
