THREAT TO EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF WARRI NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAIRMAN, HON. SMART YOMI ASEKUTU BY SOME SPONSORED COUNCILLORS: HOLD ITSEKIRI LEADERS RESPONSIBLE, ___ CEI,
Hon. Capt. Smart Yomi Asekutu, Warri North local Government Area council chairman. |
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BEING THE TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION REACHED BY THE LEADERSHIP OF CONCERNED EGBEMA INDIGENES, CEI, AT THE END OF THEIR ONE-DAY MEETING IN KOKO, ON JANUARY 26, 2023.
Our attention has been drawn to certain activities taking place at Warri North Local Government wherein some itsekiris Leaders,instigating Councillors of the Local Government, against the Council Chairman, Hon Smart Yomi Asekutu.
The leadership of the Concerned Egbema Indigenes is by this, notifying the relevant government authorities and various security agencies in Warri North Local Government Area in Delta State and beyond, to hold Itsekiri Leaders, responsible for anything that may likely cause a breach of peace in the area especially with the election around the corner.
We could recall that since the creation of Warri North Local Government Area in 1992, we have had many Council chairmen - all of them from the Itsekiri extraction in the area. We have also observed that none of them made any meaningful impact on the development of the Ijaws of Egbema kingdom in the area.
We also observed that, since creation of the Local Government Area, this is the very first time we are having an Ijaw man as the chairman of the Council. We can recall vividly that during the tenure of past chairmen namely, Chief Otimeyin Adams, Hon. Evang Michael Diden (aka Ejele), Hon. Godwin Ebosa, Hon. Aduge, Chief Francis Maku and a host of others, there are no visible projects executed in the ijaw axis of the Local Government Area.
And now, we have Hon. Fred Martins representing Warri North in the Delta State House of Assembly and Chief Thomas Ereyetomi Representing the Warri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Both of them Itsekiris who are also contesting in the coming election to go back for second tenures.
In all of the above, no one is from the ijaw-speaking area of Warri North, yet the ijaws have never come out publicly to ridicule any of them. But we have observed with dismay that some Itsekiri leaders, is on a daily basis trying to ridicule the Council Chairman using the instrumentality of the Councillors of the legislative arm of the Council.
This is becoming more worrisome because the Itsekiris ought to have considered issues from the sides of the ijaws because we served all the previous Itsekiri Chairmen in all ramifications.
But what we are witnessing now is the height of embarrassment from the Councillors on the Council Chairman by their petition and letters of suspensions and restrictions orders - all sponsored by Itsekiris Leaders.
We, Concerned Egbema Indigenes (CEI), are specific in pointing at Itsekiris as the mastermind behind the behaviour of some of the Councillors for two reasons. First, on one or two occasions, after the emergence of Hon. Smart Asekutu as the Council chairman, Godwin Ebosa had voiced it out to the Chairman that he could not support his administration because he was not his candidate for the Local Government election that brought Asekutu to office.
Secondly, recently after the Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa commissioned the Ogheye floating market, Godwin Ebosa hosted the Governor and his entourage at his hometown. There and then, Hon Godwin Ebosa prevented the Council Chairman from entering his house, for no obvious reason.
These and many more make us the ijaws and the leadership of the Concerned Egbema Indigenes, CEI, know and believe that the former Council Chairman is behind the incessant embarrassment from some of the Councillors.
We therefore strongly condemn the instigation of the Councillors against our award-winning Council Chairman, Hon. Smart Yomi Asekutu.
We are by this calling on the Leader of the House, Hon. Johnbull O. Urumatsoma and the remaining 19 members of the legislative arm to reverse their actions and adopt a peaceful resolution of any pending issue, if there is.
It is a pity that Councillors of Ijaw extraction in the Legislative Arm seem not to be well abreast of the true meaning of politics which is a game of interest and struggle for power.
It is also on record that at no time since the creation of the Council, that there had been when an Ijaw became the Leader in that Legislative Arm of the Council. But rather than introspect on some of the issues that affect the Ijaws, the Councillors have been bought over and are now fully teaming up with the Itsekiris to denigrate the personality of the chairman.
Just two months ago, precisely in November, these same Councillors from the Ijaw extraction also participated in churning out of a fake report and rumors in the social media that Hon. Capt Smart Yomi Asekutu had embezzled the Council fund.
We dare ask: How many times did the Itsekiris form alliance with the Ijaw Councillors against any of their Itsekiris Chairmen when they were in power at different times over the past four decades?
Just recently, we could also recall, that His Excellency Sen. Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State approved N2 million each for Councillors of the 25 Local Government Areas for Constituency Projects in their various wards but because of the home front terrain of the Council, the Chairman who due to his magnanimity, pull out of the treasury of the Council extra N1 million to support the N2 million which the Governor approved, making a total of N3 million for each Councillor.
Even before the Governor's approval, the Chairman commenced the payment of the N3 million to two Councillors on a monthly basis with the agreement to retrieve back the N2 million back to the treasury whenever the money comes from the State
The Chairman succeeded in paying about ten of them even before the money came from the state. The same Councillors in November last year, raised the alarm calling the Chairman to pay them a total of N5 million each and when the Chairman tried to explain to them that only N2 million was approved, some of them went to the media and in a press statement, accused the Chairman of embezzlement. The leadership of the House later distanced itself from that publication.
It should be noted that when Hon.Capt Smart Yomi Asekutu emerged as the Chairman of the Council, he was expected to select or pick the Leader of the house from the Ijaw as it has been over the years when the Itsekiris were in power. But because he didn't want to be accused of tribalism, he allowed an Itsekiri Councillor to occupy the position of the Leader of the House.
Instead of the Legislative Leader of the House to work in harmony with the Chairman to ensure peace and development, they have resorted to making public spurious and fallacious allegations against the Council Chairman.
We thought that after disassociating themselves from that publication of alleged embezzlement and apologizing, the Legislative House would be on the same page with the Chairman in a bid to develop the area.
But with the recent decision by the House to restrict the Chairman from access to the Council's bank accounts, it is obvious that they are all out to frustrate the effort of a man who is a peace builder and the light to the Council.
It is our firm belief and knowledge that the current action of the Councillors apparently sponsored by Hon. Ebosa is meant to frustrate the effort of the PDP candidates vying for various positions in the coming elections.
Hon. Evang. Michael Diden (PDP Senatorial candidate for Delta South), Hon. Chief Thomas Ereyetomi (PDP House of Reps candidate) and Hon. Martin (House of Assembly), are all from Warri North. We believe they need the overwhelming votes of the people of Warri North.
The recent actions of the Councillors, we dare say, amounts to sabotage as it is capable of causing disaffection among the electorate in the area.
It is becoming very worrisome that on a daily basis, Councillors raising baseless allegations against the Chairman and are rushing to the social media to make such frivolous publications. We are aware that there are internal mechanisms through which issues and disagreement are resolved between the executive and the legislative arms of the Council. So, we are wondering why members of the Legislative Arm will, each time rush to the social media, even when they know they are wrong.
The Council Chairman, it would be recalled who sometime last year, out of the 774 Local Government Councils the country, bagged a National Award as the most best performing Council Chairman in far away Abuja. After the award, the Warri monarch, the Olu of Warri visited the Council Area and openly commended the effort of the Council Boss for not being tribalistic, and for proving the fear of the Itsekiris wrong. The monarch equally commended the Council Chairman his focus on peaceful coexistence among the ijaws and itsekiris.
Signed: Eko Tamarau-emi
National Coordinator
Signed: Comr. James Amaebi Jack
National Secretary
Comrade Tamara-Ebi Idaji,
member
Cc. 1) Hon. Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly
2) Hon. Commissioner for Directorate of Local Government, Asaba
3) Commissioner of Police, Delta State
4) State Director of State Service
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