By BinebaiPrincewill
The Executive Chairman of Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State Hon. (Chief) Ebikeme Clark has intensified efforts in ending the lingering communal political bickering over the Chairmanship of the Community by the Ifiye Quarter.
Committed in ending the imbroglio that is rocking the community, the Council boss summoned a meeting with a view of resolving the reincarnating dispute over who becomes the Chairman of the oil reach community, Odimodi.
It will be recalled that while Chief Sapak Obaila is seen as Chairman elect of the Community by some persons through a consensus among the various family units of Ifiye quarter. Hon. Ebike Bibaikefie and other members of the community seems to be towing different line as they maintained that there is no basis yet for anyone to have emerged as Chairman, as they jostle for election.
The Council boss in the well planned meeting yesterday made provision for the both aspirants to usher in five members of their team in order to discuss the matter and to possibly come out with an amicable resolution that will be of the overall interests of members of the community.
In his words ” I want everyone to note that whatever the case might be, we should all put our personal interests bellow that of the entire community, hence, I urge members of the community to display such act of statesmanship “.
Hon Ebike Bibaikefie who identified himself as a core contestant of the Chairmanship election in Odimodi thanked the Council boss for his wisdom in initiating such meeting to resolve what is happening in the Community, he presented his case by hinging it on a certain document that latter turned out to be so controversial as he critiqued the document that there was never a time that the families of Ifiye Quarter sat down and unanimously agreed on any zoning arrangements, he said what actually happened was that they met and even set up a committee to that to which himself was a member of the committee and at the end of it all was when a single member of the committee now late, personally brought in a document in which it was deliberated upon by the family members and was latter subjected to scrutiny with corrections to be effected before it can be adopted and unfortunately the proposed sponsor of the document was said to have regrettably died. According to Hon. Ebike, “the document died along with its sponsor “. He condemned the document on the ground that it lacks legal backings as there was no signature and date portraying its legality. He views the call that the Chairmanship is being zoned to Ebiwei subfamily unit as a ploy to deny and deprive him on his legitimate right as a son from the Ikile subfamily of Ifiye. He maintained that there is no zoning as he opined that even what seems to be zoning by the so called document have severally been violated as he calls for election as the only remedy and panacea to end the impasse as it is inline with the Community Constitution which is the supreme law of the land.
In a swift reaction, Chief Timi a k a Timepre from the said embattled Ifiye quarter spoke while taking a contrary opinion from what has been said by Hon. Ebike. He said the document remains valid as zoning has been a mantra before now and wonders on how Hon. Ebike could not acknowledge that fact. He said alot of people in the very quarter have benefited from the zoning arrangements as the quarter have concluded in having Chief Sapak Obaila who contested against two other rivals to emerged from Ebiwei sub family unit in Ifiye.
The current Ward Chairman of Ifiye quarter of Odimodi Community, Mr. Ingosuogbene also maintained that there is zoning and particularly drives home the point that it was such arrangement that brought him to limelight.
Earlier, the Executive Chairman of Odimodi Community Dr. Ezekiel Ikporukpo had in a letter read before the house maintained that Chief Sapak Obaila is the Chairman elect Odimodi Community who is supposed to have been sworn in on the 3rd of July 2016.
But in another report presented by the Secretary of the Local Government Hon. Victor Awisi, who was the Council envoy to observe the proceedings in Odimodi earlier gave a slightly contrary report as the report maintained that there was no logical conclusion on the Chairmanship issue as the Ward Chairman that was calling the names where rough handled thus disrupting the exercise hence there was no formal presentation of a Chairman from the Ifiye quarter.
Various dignitaries spoke but the Council boss concluded by giving both parties one week to resolve their dispute to either conduct election where the Council will observed, or use any means to select a candidate or the Council will swear in the Vice Chairman and the other members elect as “there should be no vacuum” he said.
The meeting was well attended by the leadership of Burutu Local Government Council, Hon. Awisi Victor -Secretary to the Council, Comr. Joshua Evene -Super Education, Youths & Sport, Comr. Diofelo Juma -Super Agric, Barr. Solomon Oyakorukumor – Super Finance, Hon. Isaiah Bekenawei – Councillor representing Iduwini in Burutu Legislative Chamber, Hon. Fred Afoegba , members of Odimodi community with the host of others.
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