Guardian

AN air of uncertainty has pervaded the national election of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo billed for Enugu today, following a disagreement among members of the Chief Chris Asoluka Election Committee on their preparedness to hold the election as scheduled.

In fact, while the secretary of the committee, Chief Richard Ozobu, categorically told the members of the Ohanaeze National Executive Committee that the election has been postponed to January 19 owing to the inability of the committee to meet with logistics arrangements, other members of the committee insisted that the election must hold today as planned.

To give credence to his position, Ozobu had circulated a text message yesterday morning in which he stated that, “the national elections scheduled for Saturday January 12, 2013, in Enugu has been postponed to Saturday January 19 in order to ensure that the elections are fair.”

He added that the postponement would give the committee the time to establish a level playing ground for all contestants, asking those seeking further clarification to contact him on his mobile line.

However, while he was busy circulating the text messages and refusing to release the completed forms purchased by candidates for the exercise, other members went on air to announce that he had been removed and replaced by Dr. Mrs. Grace Eme. The members of the committee at the instance of the executive committee members of the Ohanaeze also went further to use the photocopies with which candidates purchased forms for the election to screen them yesterday in preparation for today’s election.

Five South-East states, Delta and Rivers are part of the election for the 13 national offices of the organisation. The positions have been zoned also to the affected states.

Briefing journalists on why the election should not hold today, Ozobu said the necessary requirements had not been met, stressing that several candidates contesting key positions especially the former members of the national executive committee have petitions against them.

He said: “As we are here right now, all the forms that were taken out by the candidates for national offices have not all been submitted. Funds that are necessary for the printing of ballot papers, delegates’ lists are also not here for the various states. The forms submitted so far are 32 in number for about 13 positions for the elections. We need to prepare profiles for all the candidates and I have made it known to them. They have to know who and who are coming up for elections and who is not; no security arrangements have been made as required by the constitution. As I am talking to you, we have parallel lists of delegates from Rivers. We have not sat to look into this and yet they want to truncate the process.”

He insisted that the time approved for the election was January 19, adding that those trying to push it forward in the absence of good perquisite of an election “are in my view attempting to rig the election and for the current executive to perpetuate itself in office.”

But Asoluka insisted that there was no going back on the election, stressing that the committee had within the time frame available to it worked to ensure a hitch free exercise.

He said that with minimal complaints recorded in the local councils and states elections, it would be easier to conduct the national election and accused Ozobu of nursing a parallel agenda.

The committee chairman also sent out text messages yesterday inviting Ndigbo to the secretariat today for the election.