Ukane Godwin
The President General (PG), of Afiesere Community in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, Hon. Richard O. Aduvie has been dragged to Ughelli High Court by Hon. Julius Efeni Akpovoka for allegedly conducting kangaroo election of the community that was not in line with the Community’s constitution.
It could be recalled that Hon. Richard Aduvie who has been petitioned to Ughelli Area Command for not rendering his account of stewardship since he assumed the position of the PG for three years and 11 months now has again violated the constitution of the community which states that, for any election to be held, the sitting President General should call for community’s conference and render his account of stewardship. While the matter is yet to be settled, Hon. Aduvie allegedly conducted another election without calling for community’s conference and not giving account of over 3billion Naira that accrued to the community.
Hon. Akpovoka also said, according to part 6, section 5 of the Community’s constitution also stated that Community’s account should be opened for the Community’s money to be paid into, but, up till now, the PG, Hon. Aduvie did not open Community’s account and this is what the community noticed and notified him to follow the constitution which he set aside and be doing otherwise by conducting illegal election to install fake Excos.
In a petition document from U.O UDUDUA & ASSOCIATES, Barrister,Solicitor & Legal Consultant to the Area Commander, Nigeria Police Ughelli, which was made available to newsmen reads: “A state of Conversion, Misappropriation and Embezzlement of Public Funds, Criminal Act by Refusal to Open a Corporate Bank Account for Afiesere Community, A Conduct Likely to Cause Breach of Peace”
The petition document also revealed that:”Hon. Richard Aduvie was sworn-in sometime in 10th August, 2020 with a mandate to administer the affairs of Afiesere Community on accountability and transparency, but since he was sworn-in, over 3billion has accrued to the community from organizations such as OML:30, Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited (HEOSL), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and Community Management Committee (CMC) as compensation for all exploration activities in Afiesere Community”
“Other monies worth over 1billion Naira also has been received but because of the alleged criminal intension of the PG, the Community’s bank account has never been opened by Hon. Aduvie”, the document stated
In the same vein, another document made available to newsmen revealed that three Afiesere indigenes namely: Mr. Frank Odibo, Mr.Eguriase Okpole and Oraka Ighosotu have, on behalf of themselves,also dragged Hon. Richard Aduvie to Ughelli High Court of Justice for his refusal to call for Community’s conference and not opening of the Community’s corporate bank account, which according to them, is against the Afiesere constitution.
Based on the action of Hon. Richard Aduvie, Hon. Akpovoka described the election as illegal and a calculated attempt to bring disorderliness to the Community, and therefore called on Afiesere Community and the general public to disregard the purported conducted election as the process of the. election did not follow the Community’s constitution.