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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
There is tension in Rundele Clan, Ward 7, in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, over plans by the immediate past councillor of the ward, Emenike Wokama, to return for a second tenure in the forthcoming LGA elections in the state, against the age-long zoning arrangement in the area.
The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rundele Ward 7, in line with Rundele zoning formula in the clan’s representation at the Emohua Legislative Assembly, had last week, nominated Mr. Vincent Wuzor from Omofo, as their councillorship candidate on a consensus arrangement.
The community wondered why he was dropped on Saturday, and allegedly replaced with Wokama.
The situation, it was gathered, did not go down well with stakeholders in the community as it truncated the proposed party primaries in the ward, while Wokama was imposed on the people to return for a second time.
Following the development, youths of Omofo Community in Rundele protested against the second term ambition of Wokama, accusing him of trying to cause a crisis in the area, with claims that his emergence was the directive of a serving federal minister and his loyalist, a former council chairman.
The youths who marched across the communities of the clan, to the Palace of the paramount ruler, Eze Damian Ejiohuo, vowed to resist the return of Wokama for a second tenure, insisting that Mgbuelia Community had served out their turn, and that it is the turn of Omofo to produce the next councillor for Ward 7 at the council.
They advised that the zoning arrangement of councillorship position in the five communities of Rundele should be respected, warning that Wokama and his cronies should be held responsible should there be any crisis or breach of peace in Rundele Clan,
The community urged the paramount ruler, the clan Council of Chiefs and other stakeholders to call Wokama to order.
Addressing newsmen, the leader of the protesters and chairman, Omofo Youth Federation (OYF) Community, Kpomasuruchi Dimpka, said the youths and Omofo community would resist every attempt to steal the mandate of their people by all means.
He said: “We are here to protest not as members of any political party, but as youths of the Omofo community. We are protesting against attempts to deny us our rights. We are protesting against injustice.
“The people of Rundele are peace loving; and over the years, we have maintained a zoning arrangement in both our traditional rulership and councillorship positions among the five communities in Rundele.
“In the zoning arrangement, Mgbuolua community takes first, followed by Mgbuelia, before Omofo, then Egamini and Agba-Ndele.
“Mgbuelia Community produced the last councillor in the last administration under Chidi Lloyd in the person of Emenike Wokama and they have completed their tenure. Now, it is the turn of Omofo Community to produce the next councillor in the August 30 LGA elections. But, what we are hearing today is that Wokama has been asked to go back for a second tenure.
“It has never happened before; no community has ever gone for a second tenure in Rundele, and we will resist it at all cost. It is Omofo’s turn.
“So, in the interest of peace and continuous unity in Rundele, we are calling on the Eze Nwe Eli Rundele N’ogbo, Eze Damian Ejiohuo, the Rundele Council of Chiefs and other stakeholders to call Wokama to order, and let the right of Omofo people be given to them.”
Also speaking, Okechukwu Omeodu said: “We are protesting today because we don’t want a crisis in Rundele. At this point, any problem or imminent conflict can be averted.
“Rundele has a sharing or zoning formula that has lasted for ages, where the councillorship position is being rotated among the five communities and this has helped to avoid clash and conflict in Rundele while choosing our representatives and leaders.
“But, after Mgbuolua and Mgbuelia had represented us in the last two administrations, Mgbuelia man and immediate past councillor, Wokama, is scheming to return for a second tenure. Omofo people will reject it by all means because this is our turn.
“What Wokama is trying to do now will only bring about crisis and conflict in Rundele, and so, we are calling on our leaders to prevail on him to perish that ambition in the interest of peace in Rundele community before it is too late.
“We are not against how political parties select their candidates for the elections. But, all we are saying is that their candidates should come from Omofo.”
