Prince Chimezie Duru Chima Debunks N1 Million Bribery Allegation, Lambast Chief Emmanuel Ubah Over Ohanaeze Ndigbo Oto-Awori Election

More insider revealatons have continued to emerge over the recently conducted Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Oto-Awori chapter election .

News Planet International reports that indeed the last may not have been heard about the contentious election ,as the elected Chairman, Prince Chimezie Duru Chima, in a media Chat with Journalists, dismissed what he described as spurious and bad loser allegations by Chief Emmanuel Ubah,who allegedly accused the Electoral umpire , contested the conduct of the election ,as well as Chima’s emergence as elected leader in Oto-Awori Ohanaeze Ndigbo .

In response to Chief Ubah’s allegations ,Prince Chima , popularly known as “Offia Frago”, lampooned Ubah and dismissed his protest as nullity as well as the ranting of a bad loser and a drowning man.

He said, ” Emma Ubah does not have good records in our LCDA, he is a manipulator , a pretender and liar , who does not have any legitimate business and that was part of the reason he woefully lost Ohanaeze Ndigbo state president election. For instance , how can a man who is not a medical doctor open and operate a hospital”?.

While defending the credibility and sanctity of the election conducted in Oto – Awori LCDA ,Prince Chima , who emerged as the new Chairman, denied Ubah’s N1m Bribery Claim.

Going down memory lane , Prince Chima, who challenged Chief Ubah , also known as Otunba Ojoto,to tell the public his occupation and source of income , he recounted how he brought Chief Ubah into Ohanaeze Ndigbo , sponsored him financially before they had a fallout.

Accusing Ubah of brewing crisis in their LCDA, Prince Chima further absolved the Electoral Committee of any wrong doing , gross misconduct, extortion and imposition of unrecognized persons as Local Government Chairmen.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Chieftain in Oto-Awori, Lagos State, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Offia Frago Properties Ltd and Double Age Global Resources Ltd , vehemently denied allegations that he bribed members of the electoral committee with N1 million, to manipulate the organisation’s recent election in his favour.

Chima described the allegation as baseless, insisting that the election was conducted transparently, with the participation and observation of traditional rulers and other stakeholders.

Speaking further during the interview, he maintained that there was no bribery, manipulation or disagreement during the exercise, adding that he had video recordings to support his position.

He also identified his support base and witnesses as Obi Dokus ,Obi Ndigbo in Afro-Media;Eze Ndigbo in Ketu, Eze Uchenna Dike; Eze Timothy, Eze Ndigbo in Oto-Awori LCDA; Eze Anayo, Eze Ndigbo in Imude and Shibiri , Members of Chief Ubah led former Executives, their woman Leader ; other traditional leaders and some of the stakeholders were also present during the electoral process.

Describing Ubah as the mouth that bite the finger that fed him, Chima recounted his relationship with Chief Ubah , noting that it was him Chima that personally introduced Ubah to Ohanaeze several years ago and facilitated his political advancement within the organisation.

According to him, Ubah initially contested for the position of treasurer but lost before he later encouraged him to contest for the chairmanship of the Oto-Awori chapter.

Chima who said he founded Ohanaeze Ndigbo at Ilogbo ,explained further that it was disagreements over the independence of the organisation and the venue for its meetings that deepened and prolonged the leadership crisis, which eventually produced rival factions.

He claimed that following the harmonisation of the factions, Ubah later contested for the presidency without adequately consulting stakeholders in Oto-Awori, leading to another disagreement over the distribution of leadership positions.

Chima said he subsequently obtained the nomination form to contest for the chairmanship after consulting traditional rulers and other stakeholders, insisting that his emergence was legitimate.

He also alleged that Chief Ubah was involved in questionable and potentially illegitimate business activities that led to his arrest with his wife at Area ‘K’ police Command.

He called on relevant authorities to investigate the claims.

He challenged Ubah to a public debate so as to respond to the allegations,noting that individuals contesting to occupy leadership positions, should be prepared to account for their activities. “Those who live in glass house, should never throw stone”, he noted.

Laying out his programmes for Ohanaeze members in Oto-Awori, Chima said his priority was human capital development, education and economic empowerment.

He disclosed that he had personally supported members through the payment of school fees, assistance with house rents and distribution of food items to vulnerable women.

For Chima , his philanthropic activities are funded from his personal resources and are not restricted to members of the Igbo community, as people from other ethnic backgrounds can also benefit.

He urged members to remain united despite the leadership disagreements, stressing that division would undermine the organisation’s progress.

“My message to Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Oto-Awori is that they should remain calm, focused and united. United we stand, divided we fall. We are moving forward,” he said.

However, Chief Ubah could not be reached for his response before going to press time .