Women and youths of Obingwa Local Government Area on Thursday staged a protest demanding the immediate removal of the council chairman, Michael Ibe Nwoke for abysmal performance.
The protesting women and youths said that under Nwoke as the LGA Chairman Peace has eluded the area, as several actions capable of leading to youth restiveness that has been solved over the past seven years are about to race their ugly heads again.
They, therefore, pleaded with the leaders of the Ngwa nation, especially those from Obingwa to ensure that every necessary legal process is used to ensure Nwoke is removed before he destroys the peace they are currently enjoying.
The protest which took place at the council secretariat in Mgboko saw the women and youths display placards inscribed with write-ups like: “Michael Ibe Nwoke as ALGON chairman sacked LGA workers, local Government Chairmanship is not a Yahoo business, resign and go back to Yahoo Business” and more.
The Obingwa women leader, Hon. Ijeoma Ngozi said that the privilege given to Nwoke to direct the affairs of the LGA and coordinate the youths has been bastardized with signs of violence to emanate again. In her words, “It’s barely five months for his tenure to be over and he has not done any meaningful thing for our people.
We don’t have an office here as women as everywhere have been converted to tricycle confiscation centres. “Thugs are everywhere seizing tricycles, collecting N40, 000 from all of them. All we see every day are thugs and all sorts of bad people with no meaningful development. We’re tired of watching our children be used for violence.
Since Governor Okezie Ikpeazu took over, Obingwa has been very peaceful. “It’s unfortunate that now, the chairman is regrouping such youths that could cause problems for us. We don’t want it again. We don’t want anything that will arm our children and lead them to their untimely deaths.
This is why we’re calling for him to be removed before it gets out of hand.” Christian Nwachukwu, the youth leader of Obingwa said that the youths were once hopeful that Nwoke will organise the LGA, but with occurrences on the ground, the youths can no longer trust his leadership style and therefore calls for his removal.
He said, “He has been insulting everybody and we’re tired of him. When he was ALGON Chairman, he was quarrelling with his colleagues. Yes, he’s our brother but we cannot use because of him and sacrifice our peace here in Obingwa.
“We’ve gone round and we’ve discovered that almost all the buildings in the LGA secretariat are all dilapidated and nothing is working at all.
Look at how grasses have taken over everywhere. “He is busy harassing all our brothers who are tricycle riders. We call on all our leaders from Governors to the House of Assembly to help us. We call on councillors to quickly remove through impeachment. Enough is enough.”
