Posted by By OLA AGBAJE on
Igbo community in Lagos, Ifite-Oraifite Progressive Union (IOPU) has rejected the purported dissolution of its executive, describing it as a nullity and of no effect.
Igbo community in Lagos, Ifite-Oraifite Progressive Union (IOPU) has rejected the purported dissolution of its executive, describing it as a nullity and of no effect.
Addressing the press on what it described as move to haijack its village union by outsiders, the Lagos branch of IOPU resolved that no amount of pressure and inducements would make it to succumb to the move to distabilize the union by desperate money bags for selfish agenda while expressing solidarity with the Bonny Okonkwo led executive.
Okonkwo said the purported dissolution has no effect since it does not conform with either the village union or the town union constitution.
While berating the national president of IOPU, Sir Charles Mekowulu for the role he played in the purported dissolution, Okonkwo said: "It would interest you to know that the National President who had unequivocally condemned in strongly worded letter the attempt to destabilize IOPU came to Lagos purportedly on the mission to mediate on the crisis.
"However, by the time he left, he had created more confusion than he met. At the prompting of his paid agents and sponsors, he came to our village meeting on August 17, 2008 and illegally announced the dissolution of the executives." he said.
Pointing out the relevant provision of the union's constitution, Okonkwo noted that Mekowulu under their law has no say in either the installation or dissolution of the IOPU executive.
‘Our position is that he lacks legal authority to dissolve our executives as he is an outsider in the affairs of IOPU Lagos branch. Nothing in our law recognises him as having such power.
'Hence, we state that the purported dissolution is a nullity, illegal and of no effect.'
In addition, IOPU noted that the action of Mekowulu was a brazen contempt on the authority of the court as the matter relating to the crisis in the OIU Lagos was already before the court.
In a letter dated May 23, 2008 Mekowulu had condemned the marginalisation of IOPU Lagos in the affairs of OIU, which comprises of four villages including Ifite. He had traced the genesis of the crisis to the exclusion of IOPU Secretary, Fidelis Okonkwo from the signatories of the OIU account as its financial Secretary. The letter also condemned the arrest and detention of IOPU chairman and the attempt to force him to sign a prepared statement dissociating Ifite from a lawsuit on OIU crisis