Tension is currently high as students and Pupils of Oteri secondary and Ative primary schools were not allowed entrance to their class over the burning down of a building housing an electoral committee member for the Oteri-Ughelli community youth election in Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.
It was learned that the tenure of the youth executive in the community has elapse and an electoral committee was set up to conduct election for new members.
According to sources in the community, “Eight persons escaped from being burned to death as hoodlums set a two bedroom apartment belonging to one Mr Agani ablaze over Oteri community election.
“The unidentified hoodlums gained entrance into Aganis house at the dead of the night through one of the windows to carry out the arson while his eight daughters were asleep.
“It took the effort of their mother and first responders that rushed to the scene to break into the house to rescue them from the inferno.”
Meanwhile, a community source told our correspondent that there has been a lingering controversy over the yet to be conducted election as members of the electoral committee couldn’t reach a peace accord between the candidates.
The source further revealed that after all the candidates had been successfully screened, the electoral committee members could not arrive at a consensus for a preferred candidate.
“The inability of the electoral committee to arrive at a consensus triggered the tension which led to the burning of house and destruction of properties.
“They keep postponing the elections to the dismay of all parties involved.”
A member of the Oteri community executive who spoke in anonymous condition revealed that there are two major factions to the youth election between two prominent personalities.
“What is playing out now is between the cabals that are involved, they have different opinions on who become the next youth chairman in the community and the person the entire people want is not in the right book of one the cabals.
“The supremacy of who is to produce the youth chairman in the community is cause of the mayhem. The position is just for 48 months and it is not worth destroying ourselves for no reason.”
However, as at the time of filing this report, a top contender for the community chairmanship position, Comrade Erute Esegine has submitted himself to the police authorities for questioning.
A senior security source attached to the State Police Command, who denied detaining the president general of Oteri community confirm the incident.
“Yes such incident occurred at Oteri-Ughelli and one person has been detained, the detained person is not the president general.
“Prior to this incident, severally the police had told them to hold an elaborate meeting with the party involved in other not to escalate the issue but they did not not listen”.
