Community Elects Detained Contestant As President-general

Despite being in detention at the Police Zone 13 Ukpo headquarters, Onowu Patrick Oyeduba has been elected the president-general (PG) of Awada-Obosi Landlords Association, Idemili-North local government area of Anambra state.

Onowu Oyeduba was arrested yesterday and taken to the police 13 Ukpo headquarters few minutes before the 10am slated for commencement of the association’s election by a team of five policemen from the police zonal headquarters.

Members of the association had waited for the release of Onowu Oyeduba who is one of the contestants for the PG position until at about 2.54pm when they decided to conduct the election at the association’s secretariat located along Onyebuchi street.

A five-man electoral committee headed by one Mr Lawrence Chimereze conducted the election which produced ten other members of the executive committee.

The electoral committee explained that the election could not be postponed because it is a “Court ordered election”.

Justice Chudi Nwankwo of Ogidi High Court in the judgement of his Court in a three years old litigation on the association’s leadership squabble made order that association should conduct election to choose it’s executive within 30 days from March 13, 2024.

It was explained that Justice Nwankwo in his judgement awarded N2 million and N350,000 as damages and cost of litigation against the defendants in the case in favour of the applicants.

Delegates from eight out of the 14 zones that made up the Awada community participated in the election which ended at about 4.35pm.

Speaking shortly after the inauguration of the newly elected executive members, the 2nd Vice-president general, Mr. Walter Ohiri promised that the immediate priority of the leadership would be to evacuated heaps of refuse that have taken over the community and also to strengthen the security in the area.

He assured that the leadership would not operate like “rulers” but as “leaders” adding that they would be transparent and accountable to the residents.

Onowu Oyeduba’s wife, Lolo Amaka Oyeduba who decried the manner the police team whisked away her husband said that the police team also took away their two sons: Ifeanyi and Emeka aged 26 and 28 years respectively handcuffed.

“I was traumatised seeing my children handcuffed and taken away like common criminals. I felt sad because they didn’t do anything; they have never been arrested by the police before,” she lamented.