A bloody crisis is currently said to be looming in oil rich Isoko nation of Delta state following what the indigenes described as stands of Isoko born chronic corrupt Czar who doubles as Executive Director, Finance and Administration of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Askia Samuel Ogieh, former dummy Assembly representative of Isoko South constituency 1, Ross Uredi and their stooges who have vowed to back the ousted president of the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), Victor Egbo, aka (Last Mugu), for a parallel leadership.
HardReporters could recalled that the INYA has been enmeshed in legal battle as a result of the vehement refusal of the ousted President, Mr. Egbo, who doubled as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, on youths matters, but a week ago the Idu Amadhe led Isoko Development Union, (IDU), which has been in the legal battle with Mr. Egbo, secured victory and conducted election for the youth body which was well accepted by the entire Isoko nation.
The youth election which was adjudged as the best by all, including contestants and witnessed by President Generals of Isoko communities, former leaders of the Isoko youth body, Isoko Development Union executives and observers, was conducted in August, 20th, 2017, at the Oleh Civic center, headquarters of Isoko South local government area, with Ovie Umuakpo, a former President of the National Association of Delta State Students (NADESTU), Uniben Chapter, emerging as the new president of the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA).
Mr. Umuakpo, a political scientist and lecturer at the Delta State College of Education Warri, polled 71 votes out of 95 votes cast to defeat his opponents Solomon Odhe, Fidelis Utomudo, Emmanuel Igbuku, Osu Johnny and others.
According to the results announced by Chairman of the electoral panel and 2nd Vice President of the Isoko Development Union, (IDU), Lucky Panama, Other officers elected with Umuakpo included, 1st Vice President; Mr. Blacky Oboba, Mr. Kelvin Apar-Itesah 2nd Vice President; Mr. Amos Ogbokor, Secretary general; Miss Joan Omuyeh, Women Leader, among others.
While swearing in the new executive, the Grand Patron of INYA, the umbrella body of Isoko Youth worldwide, Fred Obe enjoined the new INYA leadership to emulate the leadership style of the founding fathers of the youth body, and put the interest of Isoko above their personal interests.
In his acceptance speech, shortly after taking his oath of office, Mr. Umuakpo pledged to reconcile all aggrieved persons as well as promote peace among the Isoko ethnic nationality, assuring that the Isoko people will be proud to have elected him to lead the youths at this time.
“Our voice must be heard loud and clear on national issues going forward. Never again shall Isoko youths be relegated to the background in the committee of youths nationwide, adding that he will lead an intellectual youth movement geared towards the development of the Isoko nation,”
However, the youth election, it was learnt did not go down well with the DESOPADEC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Ogieh, who is well known for his ground breaking records of bloody crisis as well as the likes of Mr. Uredi and few other of their stooges, and Ogieh and his cohorts have vowed to continue to identify and recognise Mr. Egbo as the President of INYA, thereby creating a parallel INYA leadership in Isoko, an impeccable source told our correspondent.
It would be recalled that sometime last year, a N20 million fraud scandal involving the DESOPADEC Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Ogieh and the commissioner representing Isoko nationality in the commission, Ovie Oghoore generated severe controversy among leaders and youths in Isoko land.
It was gathered that it was an annual tradition of the commission to release N20 million each to the five ethnic nationalities that make up the commission at the end of every year for youth empowerment, but in 2016, the slot of Isoko was hijacked by Mr. Ogieh and Mr. Oghoore, and pocketed the sum of N16 million and released only N4 million to Mr. Egbo, who had doubled as President of the Isoko youths for onward disbursement to the youths of Isoko.
It was however gathered then that the N16 million was shared between the two Isoko DESOPADEC officials, as Mr. Ogieh had to purchase vehicles for some of his cronies and mistresses with his share of the loot and jetted to Dubai where he had absconded to for asylum with few of his girlfriends and few “political hallelujah boys”, a source had stated. Mr. Egbo, also confirmed then that only N4 million was released to him by Mr. Ogieh and Mr. Oghoore.
An impeccable Isoko youth who confided in HardReporters, on telephone, said, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led administration, has refused to obey the ruling of the court and identify with the new President of INYA which all the Isoko communities presidents and IDU upheld after a substantial elections, adding Okowa was still dealing with Mr. Egbo leadership that has since elapsed.
“I am not in doubt that our Youth Development or Security funds from DESOPADEC are still making their ways to the hands of the immediate past INYA executives. This is a blatant disregard to the rule of law by our governor and personally I have been expecting the new leadership of INYA to speak boldly on this.
“September ending is fast approaching, we shall continue our watch to see what leadership the state government will wine with and give access to our fund from DESOPADEC, as we also look out for your reactions to this illegality being perpetrated by Governor Okowa against your leadership and by extension the entire Isoko nation. If you must be taken seriously, you must take act as a true defender of the Isoko interests irrespective of involved.” the youth said.
HardReporters also gathered that, during the week, the embattled ousted president of INYA, Mr. Egbo, who has some traces of criminality, paid a condolence visit to Mr. Ogieh in his Uzere country home, to sympathise with him over the demise of his uncle.
During the visit, community sources who witnessed the visit, told HardReporters, that Mr. Ogieh vowed to support, identified and recognised Mr. Egbo as the President of INYA, even as some loyalists and stooges working under the instructions of Mr. Ogieh castigated and called the President General of IDU, Mr. Iduh Amadhe all sort of unprintable names, that Iduh was not the kind of leader the Isoko nation need to lead them in the 21st century.
Commenting on the brewing crisis, an Isoko Abuja based staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party, told our correspondent in the nation’s capital, that should any crisis erupt in Isoko, Mr. Ogieh, Mr. Uredi and others should be held responsible.
“Askia name will always connote crisis, he strives in crisis even right from his days in the council as a chairman. Am from Isoko south and I know Askia too well. Who is Askia by the way, this is a man that is corruption personified from head to toe, this was a man a former councilor wrote examination for back then at Federal Polytechnic, Oko. Today he is flaunting some certificates he acquired with money and claiming accountant. We can’t forget in a hurry how this same Askia caused crisis in Uzere his home town that led to the burning of houses, maiming and killing innocent souls.
“Some of us know how Askia used money to buy his way to acquire those certificates, including his recent so called “Society For Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention (SFAFP). Does Askia know how to balance account.? Throw him some questions about accounting and let’s see if he can answer correctly. Is this not laughable that a known chronic corrupt and fraudulent Askia is flaunting certificates and some stooges are hailing and congratulating him.” the PDP member said.
A source, told HardReporters that following the illegal recognition and backing been giving by the likes of Mr. Ogieh and Mr. Uredi and others to the Egbo led parallel INYA leadership, the constitutionally and legally elected new president of INYA, Mr. Umuakpo and his second vice, Mr. Apar-Itesah have been displaying on social media their certificates of recognition by the Isoko Development Union, (IDU) after the INYA election, so as to stop Mr. Ogieh and cohorts from misleading Isoko nation.
HardReporters reliably learnt that more parallel INYA leaderships are already springing up in Isoko, some of which said to be sponsored by the Isoko chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC.
As at the time of filing this report, calls put to the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Askia Samuel Ogieh were rebuffed, meanwhile, a close ally of Mr. Ogieh who is abreast with all the issues, exonerated him, saying “Mr. Ogieh might be stubborn but cannot support anything that can bring bloody crisis to Isoko.”
