Youths of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, numbering over 1000 took to the streets of the university town in a peaceful protest demanding stoppage of second term bid of the immediate past chairman of the council, Chief Patrick Omeje.

The protesting youths chanting sorrowful songs with placards demanded the removal of the immediate past chairman as the sole candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant in the forthcoming local government election in the state.

The youths marched the streets of Nsukka to the local government headquarters and lodged complaints to the transition committee chairman Hon. Chnwe Ugwu who pleaded with them to be calm as the election is never a do or die affair, adding the council has noted their grievances and would channel it to the appropriate authority.

The protesting youths called names to Chief Omeje as he allegedly achieved zero in terms infrastructural and human capital development, employed about 1000 political appointees without payments while workers of the council gnash teeth in disgust of total disappointment. The placards read, “We don’t want Omeje again,” “No to high-handedness,” Omeje account for your stewardship in two years” among others.

The leader of the youths who spoke under the conditions of anonymity said that Chief Omeje can’t be imposed on the people as the council chairman for second tenure, explaining that his first term in office was zero in terms of development of the area.

“Let him give account of his stewardship for the past two years he served as chairman of the council. He collected N2.9 billion from Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) for two years yet the cosmopolitan town still look like a ghost town, “Dirt’s litter streets, drainage systems unkept, link roads unattended while in few weeks of the transition committee chairman of the council toilet facilities has erected at the council headquarter together with workers cafeteria at a subsided rate to stop patronage of major cafes in the area.

“Could anyone believe that Nsukka local government council has no functional toilet facilities for convincing while allocation kept coming monthly without accountability for the past two years.

“We want the likes of Hon. Tony Ugwu who served with every amount of sincerity, transparency, accountably and honesty with the fear of God. The likes Hon. Onyema Idoko, (Oka One) in 90 days as transition committee chairman of the council and presently Hon. Chinwe Ugwu has taken the mantle opening abounded areas, visited Alor Uno communities that was ravaged by flood in the last rainy season without the council chairman attention and celebrated new year for indigent widows of the council with wrappers and bags of rice first if its kind in the annals history of the local government council.”

The youths called on the state government, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Enugu state independent electoral commission (ENSIC) to throw the towel open for any interested person to vie for the chairmanship position of Nsukka under PDP but not choice of Patrick Omeje for the second term.

Reacting to the protest through Facebook Wall of Nsukka Local Government Council Dr Emmanuel Ejimofor Omeje said that the immediate past chairman is not in do or die politics as youths in their hundreds, protested with unprintable words, against the PDP anointed candidate for February 29 local government election across the 17 local government areas of the state. “Before the nightfall of the protest, I received calls from good and bad, party men and women, who expressed concerns the protest was sponsored.

“I tried to explain and many of them understood my stand. I am not seeking election to better my life. My life is already well-planned and can only get better.

So, why should I engage in such a deadly way of a campaign of calumny, if I win the election, it will be to the glory of God and to the service of my people” he noted. (Vanguard)

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