The on-going political crisis between the Omuma Local Government Council Chairman, Hon John Anucha and the ten councillors of the council has been blamed on alleged selfish and parochial interest of a political clique known as the ‘Omuma Big Eight’.

   A prominent politician in Omuma, Chief Jude Ubani who made the allegation in an exclusive interview with The Tide said the clique was using the councillors to frustrate the administration of Hon Anucha for refusing to bring allocations of the area, since inception of office to their table for sharing.

He explained that before the councillors sent their controversial petition to the River State House of Assembly, Omuma Elders Advisory council made up of responsible elders from the ten wards in Omuma mediated in the crisis and discovered that virtually all the demands by the councillors centred around their personal interest instead of the Omuma people and advised them not to wash their dirty linen in the public.

Chief Ubani, who is also a social commentator in the state expressed shock that the councillors were unable to pass a bill since three years in office.

“They do not even know anything about law-making. They are just there to get their allowance and whatever they think is due   them”, he maintained.

Commenting on the allegation that the council boss spends N7 million on security, Chief Ubani said it is funny in view of the serious security situation in Omuma which shares same border with Ngwa where the notorious late kidnap kingpin ,Osisikaukwu comes from.

He praised Hon Anucha for what he described as his long list of achievements. “Apart from two or three communities around Ariramiri, all communities in Omuma are electrified with the council picking the bills, built market stalls, ultramodern secretariat, built parks, pays bursary to students, gives scholarship to Omuma students and takes care of elderly persons in the area amongst others”, he said.

Chief Ubani who was a prominent member of ANPP said the impressive performances of Hon Aucha in Omuma and Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi at the state level forced him to dump opposition and noted that his shift to PDP, marked the death of opposition in Omuma and Etche.

“Governor Amaechi and Hon Anucha are God-sent. Their impressive performances made me move over to PDP and with my exit from opposition camp, opposition is dead in Omuma and even Etche,” he remarked.

He further stated that he had initiated moves “to dismantle the Omuma Big Eight who think they own Omuma and always want to occupy important political positions or want their stooges who they can manipulate”.

He lauded Governor Amaechi for building world class schools across the twenty-three local government areas in the state, massive road constructions, health centres, local and overseas scholarship to Rivers students, power station among others and stressed that Governor Amaechi administration cannot be compared to the eight years of Dr. Peter Odili which he termed a total waste.    

He advised Omuma people to continue to give support to Hon Anucha’s administration at the  local government level and expressed support to Governor Amaechi’s re election to enable him complete the good work he is doing for the state.

“Amaechi does not need further campaign, even the recent two million-man match is a waste of resources because the governor’s work is enough campaign for him,” he noted.

Chris Oluoh