By Zik Gbemre,
From his Asaba comfort zone, self acclaimed Delta State Chief Peacemaker, Chief Edwin Uzor, watched like spectator as Governor Oborevwori’s political officeholders from Okpare Olomu attempted to set the Ughelli South LGA community on implosion in defiance of the community constitution and manipulation of government institutions.
He was aware and consented when political officeholders from Okpare Town induced a community tyrant and some elders to compromise due process enshrined in the community constitution to appropriate community lands to selves.
Uzor was aware when, to avoid sanctions over their willful misconduct, parties (buyers and sellers) involved in the land grabbing resorted to lies to truncate the community’s constitutional Boxing Day Annual Conference fearing they could be penalised.
When their lies could not work, they resorted to intimidation of law-abiding Okpare EXCO led by President General (PG) in desperation to scuttle the Annual Conference. Uzor is aware the land grabbers and their sponsors induced a willing Chairman of Umolo District Customary court to issue partisan injunction it had no jurisdiction to issue.
Uzor is aware that even with a counter restraining order, the land grabbers mobilised soldiers of the Nigerian Army to occupy Okpare when the community was not in any war or terrorist situation to warrant their being rented to invade a peaceful community where the Police has the prerogative to enforce law and order.
Uzor is aware that some of the community leaders were arrested, a resident was wounded and the PG and EXCO were invited to Delta State Police Command Headquarters Asaba, invited to Zone 5 Benin and invited by Area Command Ughelli with spurious allegations leveled against them.
Uzor was aware of all these shenanigans of the land grabbers but turned blind eyes while I stood in the gap to ensure those arrested or summoned were all released unconditionally by simply presenting the clear facts of the case to such security bodies.
If the forces of destabilization hadn’t been pushed and repelled by sheer voluntary intervention by me, if the land grabbers have had their way in their various malicious intent to displace Okpare PG and his EXCO against due process, we wonder if Chief Uzor would have been interested in resolving any conflict in Okpare.
And after hearing his partisan resolutions to the induced crisis, we can understand why matters get worse in Delta communities Uzor’s Peace Committee engage in mediation. As for me, he is more of a Chief Peace Breacher Masquerading As Chief Peacemaker.
The meeting for so tagged final resolution of the Okpara crisis was convened at the Governor’s Office Annex, Edjeba, based on my earlier recommendation on the need for Uzor to meet with communities rather than inviting parties to his Asaba comfort zone when settling issues.
The date was Thursday 23rd January. Stepping out to address the media, Chief Uzor spewed a script full of lies to protect his vested interest in the matter.
1. He said, “There has been some little crisis in Okpare. In the course of trying to hold the Annual General Conference, issues arose.
“Issues arose because the elders said that conference should not hold that day because one of their illustrious sons who died in Lagos was being buried that day.
“And therefore that exercise should be put on hold. It escalated to the extent that the LG Chairman had advised the PG not to go ahead with that.
“The PG in his own way said no, that he has the authority to do that. That the council chairman is CSO in the LGA and as such his advice must be adhered to. That did not happen.”
REALITY CHECK:
No demised illustrious son of Okpare Town was to be buried as claimed. I challenge Uzor to mention the so dear illustrious son. Again, the PG does not fix Okpare-Olomu Annual Conference.
The Annual Conference is the HIGHEST decision making organ of leadership in the community guaranteed by Okpara Community Constitution which fixes it on Boxing Day of every year.
So those who wrote the script for Uzor failed to tell him that no individual, son or daughter, of Okpare is bigger than the rules and d regulations guiding the community.
Assuming without conceding to the lie told by Uzor, no right thinking individual or family would fixed funeral of an Okpare son who died in Lagos on same Boxing Day fixed for the Annual Conference.
2. Chief Peace Breacher continued, “While they were doing that they forcefully went to the Town Hall and started arranging the Hall. Maybe from nowhere or the other, they brought in soldiers.
“The characters that brought in soldiers I may not know. They brought in soldiers, chase the people away. That’s where the problem started.”
REALITY CHECK
Uzor lied again. He knew exactly the sponsors and the facilitators who brought in soldiers. The sponsors were same people who induced an illegal injunction from a District Customary Court that had no jurisdiction of such matter.
They were not faceless as he suggested. Assuming again without conceding they were faceless, Uzor as self acclaimed Chief Peacemaker should have the connections with the military authority to identify those who mobilised them into Okpare. Doing that would exposed his political associates bent of distabilising Okpare Town.
For Uzor’s information, both conceited Ughelli South LG boss, Lucky Avweromre who carries a P.hD title with inferiority complex and CSP Banawi Ishaku,DPO Otu-Jeremi Division, have both admitted mobilising soldiers into Okpare, when the community was not at war or under terrorist threat. And a conflict resolver sat in Asaba watching.
3. He said his Conflict Resolution Committee, “Have met with the several stakeholders and today we decided to tell them the position of government on the way things should be done in the community.
“One of the nagging issues boils on sales of lands. From their rules, land are owned by families, quarters or individuals. There is no land owned by the entire community.
“And as such, some sales have been going on through an agent, one Voke. And the authorities who are supposed to be signatories to such sales are supposed to be the Otota (Community Spokesman), the Deputy Ototas representing the community’s three quarters and the PG.
“But they alleged (WHO AND DIDN’T SEE) that the lands that have been sold they don’t see the money, even the DEED they did not see. Even the owners of the land did not see.
REALITY CHECK
Now he made it clear. The lie about the funeral of an ‘illustrious son’ to cancel the community 2024 Annual Conference was a distraction to cover up the real root of the crisis.
Those who sold land against due process knew there are repercussions. The Annual Conference as the highest decision making leadership organ of the community is the ultimate platform to discipline community leaders and members who indulge in misconducts.
This was the desperation to truncate the Conference. Nothing more. Chief Edwin Uzor identified the agent (Voke) involved in the land grabbing but was deliberately silent on the buyers and sellers. He was told everyone involved in land grabbing, having seen the DEEDs of the sales. But he chose to shield them. Why? They are prominent members of the community, some holding political offices in the state.
The land grabbers were same persons who bankrolled malicious and dangerous military invasion of a peacefully community, police chase on lawful community leaders, truncating of the Annual Conference and kangaroo District customary court injunction.
PARTISAN RESOLUTIONS
To cover up his partisan interest in the case, Uzor resorted to declarations to undermine the Okpare Constitution and paint the community as if it is rudderless.
Evasive on holding those who aired accountable, he went on in a petty generalisation, engaging in blame game like all parties were wrong and right.
And what did he say, “We’ve advised, that henceforth, such character (land grabbing) should not reoccur because it is not the best way to go. If there is need to sell, land owners should be involved in what you’re doing. Accountability should be made so that nobody suspects one another. That’s one part.
“On the other part, there has been this agitation that the Otota will be removed by the community women through the PG. I’ve told them that the women have no constitutional right to temper the Otota position.
“And the PG also has no powers to say he is changing Otota, because the PG ideally is under the community leadership and is headed by the Okpako Orere through the Spokesman, Otota.
“And by their rules the Spokesman is for life (Based on Good conduct) unless incapacitated or maybe any misconduct that may lead to impeachment.
“We told them that the PG will always ensure that he consult with the Elders before taking any policy decision. (Is there instance he failed to consult in line with the constitution?) because the moment he takes decision without agreement with elders, he has rocked the boat and the fragile peace of the area will not be welcomed.
“We’ve also told the PG to go home, the cold war between him and the Otota, he should go and defrost it and work in harmony and should be consulting the Otota through the Okpako-Orere because ideally the community is owned by the Okpako-Orere who is the oldest male child.
“He even emphasised, ‘he is the owner of the community so you cannot take his power from him and PG has no power to be the leader of the Elders in the community because the PG rule is to attract development and look at certain issues as it bothers on the community to see how it can grow.
“He has three year tenure, he has just done one year. We also advised him that the issue of running into constitutional amendment to amend to truncate Otota tenure is not allowed because he has no powers to look at the tenure of the Otota.
“He has powers within his EXCO. He has no such powers to go and meddle into the community affairs where Elders are there. No. The powers to query Otota is within the Elders Council.
“And we told the Elders that if an Otota is not behaving well, the PG can report, you people will look into it and query him where necessary. That is the position we’ve arrived today.”
ALL FALLACIES, INCITEMENTS
√ First, Okpare has rules and regulations (constitution) that shares authority and stipulates sanctions against airing members. Uzor can’t wish the penalties for the misconducts of the Okpare land grabbers. They will be accountable for their actions.
√ The allegation of women and PG conspiring to remove Otota Okpare doesn’t hold water. No individual or group can act outside the constitution. Accusing women or PG of wanting to remove Otota is sheer pre-emptive judgement. Disciplinary measures are served based on the constitution.
√ He referred to alleged Vice Chairman of Okpare pulling out of office because of riff with the PG, citing PG not relating with Elders. The worst fallacy was that the Okpako-Orere is the owner of the community.
√ That the PG is answerable to the Elders and his powers limited to his EXCO. What incitement? He went on to insinuate that the constitution has no provision for amendment, that the PG has no powers to facilitate a populist desire for amendment.
√ Uzor is only being pretentious. Explicitly stated in the Community’s Constitution, the Annual Conference is the highest decision making body with powers to sanction erring leaders and members.
√ Next to the Annual Conference is the Community EXCO headed by the PG. The PG is not answerable to the Constitution, not the Elders, agreed there is need for mutual respect and collaborative leadership. It is after the EXCO that Elders, Women group come in.
ONLY RESOLUTION OKPARE NEEDS
Because of vested interest, rather than resolve it, Uzor fueled Okpare crisis, first by playing spectator while land grabbers, among them political officeholders from the area, induce the avoidable crisis. Then in the guise of resolving the crisis in his belated intervention, he willfully sweeps the real resolution under the carpet.
The real resolution over the the induced crisis in Okpare is to ensure that the land grabbers, induced Uzor and his Conflict Resolution Committee do not undermine Okpare Constitution to set bad precedence.
The real resolution is that the truncated 2024 Annual Conference of Okpare must hold, even belatedly. The biases of a few land grabbers and vested interest of some Okpare political office holders of Delta State Government and its institution must not be allowed to have their way in derailing sustainable leadership and peace in Okpare.
The Community invoking the relevant clause of the Constitution must have their periodic General Meeting agree to fix timely date to convene that 2024 Annual Conference. The key issues and decisions to have been taken at the highest decision making Organ of the Community must not be thrashed.
Overall, the Okpare Olomu crisis has exposed Chief Edwin Uzor as Delta State Chief Peace Breacher and not Chief Peacemaker.
With Uzor, we now understand why Okwuama tragedy happened,people killed and while major communal crises spring in other parts of the State.
BOTTOM LINE:
Governor Sberiff Oborevwori must review his peace building and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms and structure in Delta state. With Edwin Uzor at the helms, the propensity to have more crisis is getting higher.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
