Appointment Of Ejele As DESOPADEC Chair Is Injustice By Gov. Okowa To Urhobo Nation – Group

The group, Niger Delta Peace Coalition, has accused Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State of perpetrating injustice against Urhobo nation with the appointment of Micheal Diden aka Ejele as chairman of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).

Coordinator of the group, Mr. Zik Gbemre, in a statement made available to BIGPEN Online on Thursday, said it was utterly ridiculous to appoint an Itsekiri man, as the Chairman of the oil commission when it is the turn of Urhobo to produce the next chairman.

“We strongly believe that Okowa has seriously goofed by this move, and we urge that it should be reversed because it is actually the turn of the Urhobos to produce the DESOPADEC Chairman”.

Gbemre argued, “Considering the fact that since the immediate past Chairman of the Board, Chief Godwin Ebosa, hails from the same Itsekiri nationality, it was faulty and unjust for Governor Okowa to appoint Diden, which is even in contravention of the provision of the Act establishing the DESOPADEC.

According to him, “Governor Okowa grossly erred, by virtue of Section 7(1) a, b, & c and (2) a & b of the DESOPADEC Law, 2015 (as amended in 2019), amongst which provision it was noted that: “The appointment of the Chairman and the Executive Directors shall be on Rotational basis among the oil producing areas of the State. 2. In compliance with the paragraph (b) of the subsection (1) above, any oil producing nationality that has produced a Chairman of the Commission shall not succeed itself until the Rotational Cycle amongst the oil producing ethnic groups is completed.”

Gbemre said that “with this, it is clearly seen that Okowa has goofed to have made that appointment adding that the bottom line is that the Ijaws and the Itsekiris have been Chairmen of DESOPADEC in the recent past, it is obviously the Urhobos turn”.

He said that the Urhobos cannot be sidetracked over the issue and therefore called on all Urhobo leaders and elites to come forth and condemn the action of the governor.

The activist however commended the group, Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade which had recently challenged the decision of Governor Okowa at a High Court in a Joint Suit with No. W/154/2019, praying that the Court should nullify the appointment of the Chairman of the Commission.

“We are however, also calling on all Urhobo leaders and elites to come forth and condemn this injustice by Governor Okowa”.

That decision, he said needs to be upturned, and an Urhobo person that is qualified, should be appointed as the next Chairman of the Commission.

“Also, where are the so-called Urhobo politicians/elites who have sold their birthrights to Governor Okowa for Personal Assistant (PA) jobs that are without defined portfolios and responsibilities? What have they done as regards the subject matter? It is really a shame”!