From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
Enugu State Commissioner for Rural Development Chief Emeka Mamah has accused a Special Assistant to the Governor of the state, Hon Luke Eze, of attempting to bribe him in a bid to influence the outcome of the elections into the executive council of Nguru Town Union.
Nguru, a community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, was granted autonomous community status in 2017, by the state governor, Rt Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, but there have been endless disputes over who has the powers to constitute the executive committee of the town union.
While the traditional ruler of the community, HRH Igwe Linus Obayi, is accused of plotting to handpick the town union executives, some elite members of the community, led by Mr Ignatius Ugwu, a Director at the Works Department of the University of Nigeria, and Prof Ike Onyishi, Head, Department of Psychology of the same university, have insisted that delegates to the town union steering committee must be chosen either by consensus or election by their respective kindreds.
Attempts to form the town union in the past has been riddled in controversy, with petitions and acrimony flying from both sides of the divide, until Governor Ugwuanyi intervened with an Executive Order for the town union to be constituted in strict adherence to due process and the constitution of the community.
It was in compliance with this directive that the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mamah arrived at the Community on January 29 for the election, but the rivalry between the contending forces forced him to postpone the election midway.
At a peace meeting convened yesterday (Sunday) in the community, the Commissioner, who attended the meeting berated the Governor’s aide for offering him an envelope to influence the elections.
Mamah who said the attempted bribery was carried out by the aide, more popularly known as MC Elder, in connivance with a lady he didn’t mention her name.
‘MC Elder offered me an envelope at the Total Filling Station Nsukka, and I told him I am disappointed, I expressed my disappointment to him because I am not such a small person that MC Elder should attempt to bribe. I have helped a lot of people from Nguru and other people from Nsukka and I am not saying this for any political gain I am saying this to the younger generation because the future holds so much,’ he said.
He also accused the governor’s aide of making and circulating videos pre-empting the outcome of the town union election when he knew that the election was yet to be concluded.
The commissioner who assured the Igwe and the rest of the community that due process was going to be applied in choosing the remaining members of the town union, in line with the mandate of the peace-loving governor of the state, also enjoined the people to unite and embrace peace as that is the only thing that will bring peace and development to the community.
However, when contacted, Luck denied offering a bribe to the commissioner or any other person in his entourage to influence the outcome of the elections into the executive council of Nguru town union.
‘I did not give the commissioner or anybody that accompanied him to Nguru any envelope, I only waved at him as he was driving along with Total Filling station, and that’s all.
‘Myself and the commissioner are appointees of the peace loving governor of Enugu State, and he is somebody I value and respect very well, my concern is to see that the governor’s directive is carried out under peaceful atmosphere and in accordance with the constitution of our community.
‘On the video, he said I was circulating to pre-empting the outcome of the town union election, I was only celebrating successful delegate election and expressing my gratitude to God that despite the heightened tension in the community no casualty was recorded,’ he said.