Okrika chairmanship tussle

Government, former chairman trade words

By China Acheru

The news hit town late last week that chairman of Okrika Local Government Area, Tamunokro Oba tendered his resignation but that was just the beginning of the controversy.

Two days earlier Nigeria’s first lady, Patience Jonathan was in Rivers State and engaged in a public spat with the state governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi when they visited Okrika to inspect a Model Secondary School Project so the rumour mills went ahead to state the Oba’s resignation was fallout of the first Lady’s visit.

But a day after the purported resignation and a following Press Release by the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari confirming that the vice chairman of the council, James Aduko had actually taken over, Oba went on air at two private radio stations in Port Harcourt claiming he did not resign and that the whole saga was a fraud.

Tobins Soala, his Press Secretary agrees the resignation letter was forged and also insists it was all a fall out of the first lady’s visit.

“I tell you the truth this whole thing is about the visit of the first lady. The government claimed that they were not informed of the civic reception and they called him to a meeting at the government house which he did not conclude with them.

“Later he heard he had resigned but how can he resign without me, the council secretary or himself signing the letter?”

But Acting Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Blessing Wikina told City Times that the two incidents are in no way connected.

“The first lady’s visit to Port Harcourt is a separate and isolated incident from the resignation of the Local Government chairman and I do not know why people have decided to link both of them.

“It is just like the death of Soboma George that happened on the same day so will it be fair to say he was killed because of the first lady’s visit?” Wikina said.

He told City Times that the chairman resigned because of internal problems he had with his councillors.

“It is no secret that he had a running battle with his 12 councillors and that led to his resignation and nothing more.”

But Soala again insist that there is peace in the council.

“It is not true that the chairman had problems with his councillors. Everyone knows there is peace there so I do not know where they got the story,” Soala said.

On allegations made by Oba that he did not resign, Ibim Semenitari told City Times that she issued a press release based on a resignation letter tendered by the former chairman and it will be unfair to the world for him to now say he never resigned.

“So far and to the best of my knowledge he has had three versions of the story so which do we believe. I really do not want to join issues with him but I have to say this to clear the air,” Semenitari said.

“He said he was forced, then he said his signature was forged and he later told the world it was a letter he wrote when he was vice-chairman so he must tell us what version of his story we should believe,” the commissioner said.