By Our Correspondent
The Vice Chairman of OML 150 Communities Consultative Forum in Warri South Council Area of Delta State, Mr. Emmanuel Debi Afortan has stated that there is no organisation or body like OML 150 Interim Committee in Delta but the Comrade Monday Agbeyi-led OML 150 Communities Consultative Forum only.
Mr. Afortan who hails from Uwakeno community made this remark while reacting to a Vanguard newspapers publication of Friday, 3rd October, 2021 at page 12, accusing Comrade Agbeyi of impersonation by one Mr. Austin Ukutegbe who he said was not even nominate by his community to the executive body of the OML 150 Communities Consultative Forum.
He maintained that the said Mr. Ukutegbe is only a meddlesome interloper being used by some disgruntled former leaders in Itsekiri land that has lost power but still bent on endlessly milking Itsekiri funds through fraudulent practices, saying that the Article cited by Ukutegbe was interpreted out of context for dubious reasons as the section did not mention rotation among communities “but rotation of executives positions according to precedence based on consultation by members”.
According to him, “the 21 members nominated from the seven communities that made up the OML 150 Consultative Forum consulted among themselves and agreed that the position of Chairman be zoned to Ifiekporo Community from where Comrade Agbeyi hails”, noting that Mr. Austin Oniyesan from Omadino who was the first chairman of the body ran more than two tenure and spent closed to 9 years in office as against Mr. Ukutegbe lies that the constitution only permits one tenure.
He further disclosed that Mr. Ukutegbe’s so-called Chairman, Mr. Mayomi Mone was also inot nominated by his Obodo Community and charged him to make available to the general public the document in which his community mominated him to the forum, saying that is the only basis on which he can contest for any position in the OML 150 Consultative Forum.
Afortan stated that no amount of cheap propaganda or media hype can derail or supersede the provisions of the constitution and the era of anti-social behavior in Itsekiri land has elapsed.
He therefore enjoined the general public to disregard any statement by Mr. Uketegbe as the ranting of a drowning man.
