Umuda Isingwu Protests; Election of community President must take due Process or nothing.

The people of Umuda Isingwu in Umuahia North LGA have declared that there will be no illegality in electing leadership of the community.

Speaking to Newmen on Saturday during a town hall meeting in Umuda, the people said there must be an electoral process to usher in the leaders of Umuda Isingwu.

Chief Ikwueagbu Anario Ubani, who spoke on behalf of the others, said, 'We are committed to ensuring that the leadership of our community is chosen through a transparent and fair electoral process. We believe that every member of Umuda Isingwu should have a voice in selecting our leaders. Any attempt to bypass or undermine this process will not be tolerated. Our goal is to foster unity, development, and good governance in our community, and this can only be achieved through legitimate and democratic means.'"

Chief Ikwueagbu Anario Ubani criticized the activities of few people led by Dimkpa Agbara accusing them of orchestrating an illegal election. He emphasized that such irregularities must cease to preserve the integrity of democratic procedures. 

According to him, "This town hall functions as our Supreme Court, and any actions taken outside of it are invalid," Ubani declared. 

He underscored the necessity of following proper electoral procedures to ensure legitimate leadership and pointed out that the election which resulted in the interim president’s installation was invalid as it did not adhere to the appropriate process.

 According to Ubani, Chief Ebusika Okengwu, recognized as the electoral officer, did not officially introduce the new leaders to the Umuda community. Ubani stated, "He should have documented and signed off on the new government with valid reasons, but that did not happen."

On April 8, the community gathered at the town hall to refute the legitimacy of the alleged election, asserting that there was no recognized government. This stance was affirmed by other members present at the meeting. Ubani reiterated that all legitimate community elections adhere to a strict timetable, and since the disputed election did not align with this schedule, it was deemed unacceptable.

He recounted that previous elections in the community strictly followed the constitution. The agenda for the main conference, slated for May 29 and 30, was supposed to be prepared in line with constitutional requirements. However, no such agenda or circular introduced the alleged illegal government.

The community had previously agreed that all welfare union activities, age-grade meetings, and other gatherings would pause from December 15 until the first week of February each year. Contrary to this decision, a faction conducted an unauthorized election on January 3, 2024, and installed what Ubani termed an "illegal government."

In response, Ubani announced that the community had decided to hold a legitimate election on the day of the town hall meeting, following the correct procedures. "No more illegal elections," he concluded.