By Francis Sadhere, Warri
The Outgoing President General (PG) of Afiesere community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr. Richard Ôvwreghëderohwo, popularly known as Aduvie, has responded robustly to allegations concerning their adherence to constitutional mandates during the recent election process.
The controversy emerged following claims that the outgoing PG and the executive committee did not follow the community’s constitution, which mandates a conference and stewardship account before holding a new election.
However, In a recent interview with newsmen, the outgoing PG defended their actions, asserting that a conference was indeed held as per constitutional requirements. “We adhered strictly to the constitution by holding a conference before conducting the election,” the PG affirmed.
“Any external claims about our processes are unfounded, as those making such allegations are not part of our community and have no standing to dictate our internal affairs.
“That person that is laying this allegation against us, cannot come to the conference the day we held the conference because he is not an indigene of this community. None of his family member can attend the conference and even if they came, they came as visitors, and as visitors all they could do was to observe,” he said.
The PG further explained that the electoral committee was established on July 5th, with elections conducted on July 22nd, stressing that this timeline aligns with the community’s constitution, which specifies that elections should occur between July 20th and 30th.
The PG emphasized that the elections were conducted transparently, with each of Afiesere’s three quarters presenting 40 delegates each.
On accusations by Julius Akpovaka, a non-indigene of Afiesere, the PG described Akpovaka as an outsider with no family ties or contributions to the community. “Julius Akpovaka is not part of any family here and has no regular contributions to our community. His claims and actions have been disruptive,” the PG stated.
The PG also highlighted several achievements of the current administration, including the completion of the long-delayed community town hall, the establishment of a new vigilante group, and the acquisition of vital infrastructure such as transformers and vehicles.
“Another of our achievement is the creation of the vigilante you are seeing today. It is our government that set up the vigilante. We bought three Hilux for the vigilante, and one bus for the use of the community. We set up the vigilante to maintain peace in Afiesere community.
“We also bought about seven transformers for the community. We graded some of the bad roads in the community at least twice before the end of our tenure.”
Notably, the PG said that the town hall project, initiated in 2015, was completed under the current administration, alongside the renovation of the Afiesere Health Center, market, and Civic Center.
“Today, I can beat my chest on behalf of my executive and say that our government, has performed creditable well. We did a lot of projects during my tenure and it was during my tenure that people knew that money was coming to the community that can be used to do projects.
“Our tenure has been marked by significant improvements in community infrastructure and services,” the president asserted. “We used GMoU funds from the oil company for these projects, and our community does not engage in unauthorized financial practices like collection of “deve” .
The president concluded by expressing confidence in the administration’s transparency and commitment to the community’s welfare, asserting that the successful completion of projects and adherence to constitutional processes are testament to their effective governance.
