Chief Sunny Djoma, a chairmanship candidate for Otughievwen community election, has called on the elders of the community to as a matter of urgency conduct a fresh election or declares him as the true winner of the inconclusive election held on 12th of March, 2020.
Djoma who made this at Otughievwen community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta state during a press briefing, alleged that his opponent, Hon. Michael Oghenegueke in collaboration with the outgoing chairman, Chief Samson Janugha, hijacked the electoral process with thugs to announce themselves as winners of the election.
He explained that the election was inconclusive because he contested with an opponent who was not qualified to contest with him as his aspiration went against the rotational order Otughievwen community and Orhoron quarters.
“It is in line with the rotational order that makes the chairman rotates to Orhoron quarters and the rotational order is also applicable to the families. If any executive position rotates to a quarter, as soon as the position gets to the quarter, it is also zoned to different families in the quarters and there is an order of rotation that says if any member of the families has assumed a position before, that family cannot assume that same position again until it rotates round the other two families”, he said.
Accrding to him: “During the constitution review, the position of the chairman went round the four quarters of the community for three years each. The other three quarters have assumed the chairmanship position twice; it is now the turn of Orhoron quarter to assume the position for second time to complete the rotational circle. And the Onovughigho family of Orhoron which had assumed the position of the Chairman through Sir Freeborn Oghenegueke, wants it to get to them again through Hon. Michael Oghenegueke against the Otughievwen constitution and also rejected by the other two families (Owhojero and Esharebra)”.
“In that regard as enshrined in Part 5, section 11, sub-section 14 of Otughievwen community constitution; the list of the delegates for each family must be signed and submitted to the electoral/screening committee by the Okpako-Orua (elder/head of the family), which the families did accordingly but on the day of the inconclusive election, accreditation which supposed to be done by the electoral/screening chairman and his members was done by the outgoing community chairman, Chief Samson Janugha and some of his executives.
“So the election which Hon. Oghenegueke claimed to have won is illegal and we have reported the illegality at the Police Area Command, Ughelli and the eldest man of Otughievwen community, Barr. P. S Ideh which prompted an emergency meeting of the elders where the outgoing chairman was accused of bypassing the constitution to conduct election and the totality of that election was declared illegal”, he added.
Chief Djoma posited that he has seek redress in court for him to be declared winner because all the delegates were ready to vote for him by the two families which had 12 delegates against 6.
“I know the court will declare me as the duly elected chairman of the community who will take over leadership from 2020 to 2023 because in the constitution, the first option is selection, the mandate has been given to me, so the election was an exercise to formalize it that was why they deprived the legal delegates from voting.
On their part, Mr. Solomon Omonigho, a delegate and Mr. Clectus Alata, a vice chairmanship candidate said the election did not hold because they were not allowed to vote but rather beaten by thugs to pave way for the outgoing chairman to conduct the election which supposed to be conducted by the screening/electoral committee.
“We will never accept it because the chairmanship of Orhoron quarter is not the birthright of Onovughigho or Oghenegueke families”, they added.
