Address political bickering in Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta now, Okorocha

Some stakeholders of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta, the two oil communities in Imo state, have called on the state governor, Rochas Okorocha, to intervene in the bickering among some political bigwigs in the areas.

The stakeholders were reacting to reports of misunderstanding that sparked off among some political chieftains from the two oil rich council areas of the state after the recent visit of the acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to Imo.

The aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) members bared their minds in separate interviews on Sunday over what they identified as the danger of not addressing the matter urgently by Governor Okorocha in Owerri. 

It was gathered that some politicians from Oguta and Ohaji/Egbema areas have been agitated at the manner the visit of Prof. Osinbajo, meant to engage the oil producing areas of the state, was allegedly hijacked by a section of political class in the area.

Mr. Henry Ezediaro member representing Oguta State Constituency and his Ohaji/Egbema counterpart had Thursday last week at the plenary of Imo State House of Assembly presented a motion of urgent public importance to the Assembly on the rift. 

The two lawmakers who moved and seconded the motion respectively urged the Assembly to summon the deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Okorocha, Mr. Kingsley Uju, to appear before the House to explain his role in shading off key stakeholders during Osinbajo  visit to Imo.

Ezediaro had in the motion stated that the position paper which contained the marginalization of Oguta area was not presented to the acting president, nor did Osinbajo visit any place in his Oguta constituency.

The lawmaker in a chat with Journalists insisted that if the wrongs are not addressed urgently, the wonderful intention of government would be mismanaged.

Mr Ozor Okorie, a youth leader from Izombe in Oguta stated  that there has been series of meetings taking place in the two council areas since after the visiting of the acting president.

“I must confirm to you that series of meetings all centred on complaints on the way some key stakeholders were sidelined during Prof. Osinbajo’s visit in the state has been taking place in the past few days now.

“It is this kind of agitation that usually snowballs to crisis if not nipped in the bud early, because in the oil bearing communities, no community or interest group want to be blocked over his or their rights’’, he said.

Mr Loveday Opara, from Umuokanne in Ohaji said the visit of the acting president in Imo was made a purely All Progressives Congress (APC) affairs under like what took place in Rivers and other states so far visited by Osinbajo.

“When the acting president visited Rivers, we saw APC, members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other key stakeholders fully represented, but in Imo, the visit was turned to a political rally for APC’’, Opara said.

On his part Mr Orie represented Ohaji/Egbema constituency in Imo House of Assembly, said none of the lawmakers at state, and national assembly from the two local government areas was brought into the picture of the Osinbajo’s visit.

A retired police officer, Chief Friday Akudinobi, called on Gov. Okorocha to urgently tackle the pockets of complaints arising Osinabjo’s visit now before it affects the fragile peace been felt in Oguta and Ohaji/Egbema areas in the recent time.

Akudinobi noted that the history of restiveness and sundry destruction of oil installation; public infrastructure and individual property in the Niger Delta areas have been linked to bickering by interest groups.

“My appeal is for Gov. Okorocha to act fast so as not to return the oil bearing communities of Imo to the era when public and private property were destroyed and prominent indigenes fear to visit home due to lack of peace’’,