The Mburubu community in Enugu State is calling for transparency in the election of its leadership, amid years of challenges in resolving leadership issues. According to the Mburubu General Assembly, every effort to address the problem has been stalled, prompting the community to reiterate its demand for a free and fair contest. The Assembly cautioned against the imposition of leaders, emphasizing that executive members of the Town Union should be elected through a credible voting process.
The community’s concerns were made public in a statement released to the media, in which they accused Dr. Chidi Peters Okorie, a media aide to the Commissioner for Science and Technology, of presenting a distorted picture of the situation to Governor Peter Mbah. The Assembly claimed that Okorie’s allegations were untrue, particularly the assertion that the Commissioner had called for the formation of a caretaker committee.
The community explained that the Commissioner had actually called for a pre-election meeting between the State Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Matters and the stakeholders of the concerned community. This meeting, they stated, was intended to examine the community’s constitution, set modalities, and establish procedures for electing an electoral panel and fixing the date for the election.
The Assembly denied allegations that an election for the town union had been fixed, questioning who had fixed the said canceled election and who had formed the electoral panel. They also expressed concern over Okorie’s attempt to pre-empt the outcome of a meeting before it took place, and accused him of making baseless claims about the government collecting N20 million to impose a caretaker committee.
The community called on its people to be vigilant and not allow political aides to create confusion, emphasizing the need for transparency, consultation, and respect for due process in addressing leadership matters. The Ministry’s openness to dialogue was welcomed, with the Assembly stating that genuine participation was essential for achieving lasting peace and progress in the community. As the situation unfolds, the community’s demand for a transparent and fair election process remains a key concern.
