A pre-colonial nationalist, Pa Conleth Omeka, has vowed to lead a state-wide protest against the Imo state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, stressing that the demonstration would only be put off if the governor conducts council election in two months’ time.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, the visually-impaired nonagenarian argued that there was no need for general elections in the state if, for seven years, Okorocha has, “vehemently refused” to conduct LGA elections.
Pa Omeka, who is the national coordinator of Nigeria Patriots Pioneers Liberation Movement, said the absence of democratically-elected chairmen and councils was “spreading hunger and poverty in Imo State”.
He said, “We sincerely call on President Muhammadu Buhari and National Assembly to take urgent steps to review and amend the section of the Constitution that empowers governors to dissolve and run affairs of the councils as their personal empire and to grant the 774 local government areas full autonomy.”
The activist condemned Okorocha for, “arbitrarily sacking a duly elected administration” in 2011 and also for having failed since then to conduct LGA elections to replace the sacked chairmen and councillors.
Revealing that he was part of the 1978 Constitution drafting committee, he called on members of Imo State House of Assembly to check what he called, “excesses of the governor”.
According to him, “We advise the Imo State House of Assembly to take urgent and necessary steps to compel the governor to conduct council elections in the state on or before the middle of June, 2018.
“I am 90 years old, blind; and I was a front line political activist in the first and second republics.
“We were detained during the agitation for the independence of Nigeria. I am pained by what this generation is going through.
“I shall lead a statewide protest if the governor fails to conduct LGA election in May this year.”
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