Delight Chinedum
Anambra State Government has cancelled election of President- General of Urum Town Union in Awka North local government area of the state held on December 30, 2023, contrary to security and media reports authenticating the fairness of the exercise.
Different reports from the Electoral committee set by the government, the security agencies including the DSS and the Nigerian Police as well as reports by the media that monitored the election said the election of President General was conclusive with a winner announced.
But the looser of the election allegedly connived with Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affiars, Hon TonyCollins Nwabunnwanne to scuttle the election following cancellation of the poll almost three months after.
Investigations revealed that the only two positions under contest were President General and Vice President General. Other positions had only one candidate each which were submitted unopposed before the election proper started in the contending positions.
Election into the post of President General of Urum was peacefully conducted and Sir Felix Godwin declared winner before supporters of Mr. Chinedu Nduka who came second, allegedly ignited chaos resulting to varying degree of injuries, destruction of properties, including the house of the election winner, Sir Felix and aggravated damages on Urum citizens against December, 2023 Peace Accord between candidates.
Nwabunnwanne announced the cancelation last Friday night to the immediate Past President-General of the community Ambassador Aloysius Tabansi, who accused him of supporting evil and conflict in Urum as the cancellation confirmed he has been dealing with Hon Chinedu Nduka to ignite crisis in the area.
According to Tabansi, Nwabunnwanne also told him he cancelled the election because Urum leadership in Diaspora angrily spoke to him not to cancel the free and fair election. He was unhappy why he should be spoken to as if they were directing him, claiming he was ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to cancel the election even as he threatened Urum people to do their worst.
The community said the cancellation would not have been an issue if there were confirmed reasons for such. It further added that for the Commisioner to request that the community should beg a looser of the election to accept defeat, means the commissioner was acting a script with Hon Nduka and cohorts.
The community was insisting that the PG election which was already concluded should subsist, while a by election should be for offices yet to be conducted, sequel to tension orchestrated by the Nduka group shortly after election results for PG were announced.
The community accused the Commisioner of aiding and abetting crisis in Urum and appealed to Governor Soludo to intervene and save the community the intending crisis by ensuring that certificate of recognition is issued to the winner, Sir Felix Godwin as done to other communities.
Meanwhile, Urum Community has written the Governor via the chambers of M.A Emejulu Esq in a Save Our Soul letter, SOS, requesting for his intervention in the injustice from the office of his Commissioner, Hon TonyCollins Nwabunnwanne who refused to issue a letter of recognition to the President-General elect of Urum Community, Sir Felix Godwin.
The letter to the Governor was copied to the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affiars and Commissioner for Home Land who is from Awka North , where Urum Community is situated.
When contacted, Commissioner Nwabunwanne debunked all the allegations, describing them as false, witch-hunt, sponsored content and fabricated tissues of lies cooked up by the reporters and their pay masters, to tarnish his image and square up the people of Urum Community with him.
He explained that the election held in December was marred with violence, to the extent that there were gunshots that culminated to someone losing one of his eyes due to weapon attacks and fights and destruction of properties that cast doubts on the credibility of the election, contrary to the violence free poll’s report.
“I challenge those claiming the election was violence-free and produced the PG and other unopposed persons to publish the result sheet of the said election showing the winners and their scores as they claimed.
“I also challenge them to publish the said reports of the DSS, the police, and those of other observers of the election, as they were referencing,” he stated.