By Ovie Okpare
The Olorogun Moses Taiga-led Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Worldwide has debunked claims by a former President General of the apex Urhobo socio-cultural body, Chief Joe Omene that the UPU is still in crisis or factionalised.
It also described as untrue claims by Chief Omene that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State was behind the alleged crisis in the UPU’s leadership.
Omene, an immediate past PG of UPU, had in an interview with journalists which was earlier exclusively published by NIGER DELTA TODAY Online claimed that the factionalisation and crisis in UPU was caused by Governor Okowa.
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The former PG in the interview further claimed that Okowa knowing that he (Omene) was never going to support his governorship ambition against an Urhoboman, manipulated some Urhobo politicians to create an atmosphere of confusion in UPU as well as to prevent Urhobos from speaking in one voice before and during the previous elections in the state.
Governor Okowa-led government through the state commissioner for information, Mr. Charles Anaigwu, denied Omene’s allegation, saying that the governor is not interested in ethnic politics in any part of the state.
However, Olorogun Taiga-led UPU on Tuesday, also debunked Chief Omene’s position, saying the former President General was trying to create an ‘imaginary crisis’ in one of Nigeria’s famous ethnic union.
In a statement signed by the UPU’s National Publicity Secretary, Worldwide, Hon. Abel Oshevire clarified that there was neither faction nor crisis in the leadership of the body.
The statement read, “The attention of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) worldwide, has been drawn to an allegation by Chief Joe Omene that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, is responsible for an imaginary crisis in the UPU.
“Ordinarily, we had intended to ignore Chief Omene, the former President-General of the UPU. However, given the fact that the allegation could convey a wrong impression in the minds of those not conversant with the workings of the UPU, we have decided to put the records straight.
“Let it be stated for the umpteenth time that there is no crisis in the UPU, under the control of Olorogun Moses Taiga, who was first elected President- General on December 6th, 2016, for a three-year term and was re-elected on 5th December, 2019, for another three-year term.”
The statement further added that Chief Omone as a former President General had fully served out his tenure and cannot be addressed as PG under any guise.
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“Chief Omene duly served out his tenure and was replaced with Olorogun Taiga in a legally constituted national congress of the UPU that had most of the royal fathers and delegates from all the 24 kingdoms of the Urhobo Nation in attendance.
It is most unfortunate that since Chief Omene ceased being the PG, he has continued to engage in actions and utterances that are embarrassing, shameful, disgraceful and unbefitting of his person and position.
It beats our imagination why Omene has chosen to drag Governor Okowa’s name into a non-existing crisis in the UPU. We believe and conclude that he is merely seeking attention and relevance by that reckless, unguarded and provocative allegation.
“Rather than this constant tantrums in the media in the failed attempts to mislead, misinform and curry favours, we urge Omene to take bold and firm steps at appeasing the Urhobo Nation and reintegrating himself into Urhobo society by seeking forgiveness and sanctify himself of the traditional ostracism invoked on him by Urhobo Royal Fathers, Urhobo Kingdoms Presidents-General and other relevant stakeholders in the Urhobo Nation.
“We wish to affirm again that there is no crisis in the UPU and that Governor Okowa is a man of peace. He respects the independence and sovereignty of the Urhobo traditional leadership and will never, and has never, interfered in its affairs”, UPU’s statement further stressed.
