By Akuma Ebere
The town union election of Ojoto community, the headquarters of Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra state has continued to generate disagreement among the youths of the community, as anger continues to rise as the youths protested that ASATU, a body entrusted with responsibility of supervising the election allegedly ended up conducting the election of some offices against the provisions of the community’s bylaw.
It would be recalled that on Saturday 6, April 2024 there was an election that produced management team of Ojoto Town Union .
Our reporter gathered that candidates that occupied other positions were duly elected except the positions of Vice President and Secretary General which the candidates were disqualified and people were purportedly selected to fill the positions.The youths while protesting against the election called on appropriate authorities to conduct fresh election for the affected positions.
The peaceful protests which started from Afor market square to local government areas,from LGA to St Paul’s Ojoto back to Eke Ojoto saw the protesters carrying placards with inscriptions “Respond to Ndi Ojoto,” “You can’t apart from Ndi Ojoto ” “We need justice” and so on.
Speaking with the journalists, the spokesman for the protesters, Hon. Samuel Mbanefo(Samba) who doubles as the youth leader complained that the contestants for the offices of Vice President and Secretary General were disqualified without good reasons, adding that such an act thwarted the right of every Ojoto son to contest for any position of his choice
“The town union election that was held on 6th of April,2024 being Saturday was not a free and fair one. it was a sort of selection and not election in some positions.There was election on other positions,the candidates vying for different positions were duly voted, at a turn for the election of Vice President and Secretary, the president general ASATU called off the election and said that the candidates vying for the positions are disqualified with no tangible reasons. But in Ojoto constitution, all the indigenes of Ojoto have right to contest for any position apart from provosts 1 and 2 which are left for Ezema and Umuchem.”
Continuing he said: “So, today the youths of Ojoto troop out en masse to stage a peaceful protests, informing our stakeholders and Anambra State government that we the youths of Ojoto didn’t accept the election.”
Hon Mbanefo, therefore, called on the traditional ruler , stakeholders and state government to intervene,
“All we are asking and demanding from State government, our king and stakeholders of the community is for a fresh election to be conducted on the positions the candidates were not duly elected,but selected, “he appealed.
When asked about the position of their traditional ruler over the development, Hon Mbanefo said: ” I must commend our Igwe for his fatherly role and advice now and before, he is a man of peace and he has been putting all efforts to make sure that the needful is done.”
In their separate contributions, Mr Nonso Anazodo, Mr Onyeka Ufondu, Mmaduabuchi Nnoli, Hon Oforma Ubah and others frowned at the manner the candidates who vied for the offices of Vice President and Secretary General were disqualified without giving any reason for doing so, instead
people were selected to fill the positions.They added that they were all annoyed and refused to accept such election exercise, explaining that the election was not free and fair in some positions that.
