Good day gentlemen of the press. On behalf of the Ibusa Youth Council and the good and peace loving people of Ibusa, we welcome you all to this press conference.
We have convened here to discuss critical issues capable of disrupting the peace of not just Ibusa, Oshimili North Delta state.
It is on record that a large part of Ibusa history has revolved around resisting injustice in all its forms and manifestations against Ibusa people and the Anioma Peoples. The attention of the Executive governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has been drawn to a kangaroo Ibusa Interim Youth Council , inaugurated by His Royal Majesty, Obi(Prof) Chelunor Nwoboshi, the Obuzor of Ibusa.
Amb. Vincent Ollimmah addressing a press conference at the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) press Centre Asaba, this afternoon,June 11, 2025, wishes to set the records straight, that His Royal Majesty, Obi(Prof) Chelunor Nwoboshi, the Obuzor of Ibusa doesn’t have the capacity to appoint Interim Committee to conduct a Youth Council election in Ibusa.
The Constitution of The Ibusa Youths Council, Section 13,and the Delta State Ministry Of Youth electoral guidelines empowers only the out-going Youth President and it’s committee to constitute the electoral committee that can carry out their duties independently and oversee the electoral process of the incoming executives of the Youths body.
The Ibusa Youths Council wonder why His Royal Majesty, Obi(Prof) Chelunor Nwoboshi and the Oshimili North Local Government Chairman, Hon. Innocent Esewezie feel they can twist justice and manipulate the Ibusa Youths Council Constitutional Electoral process by illegally hand picking an illegal Interim Youths Committee headed by Obuzor`s personal Aide. The role of the Obuzor by the provision of Section 12 of the Youth constitution ,says that the Obuzor will be acting in Advisory Capacity ONLY.
Prior before now, when Obuzor infuriated the original list of the Electoral Committee, the youths actually wanted to protest, but they felt it was not necessary. So we decided to seek a legal redress to enable the court interpret the constitution to everybody and to bring peace to Igbuzo because we don’t want rancor or chaos in Igbuzo. I wouldn’t want a situation where the palace will be ridiculed also. Hence we had to go to court. It is not we that took HRM to court but the constitution. We sort for an injunction to hold on at the moment and after the decision of the court, if the court decides otherwise no problem, if it decides that section 13 should go ahead to no problem as well, we will move ahead and follow the Constitution of Ibusa Youth Council.
Honestly speaking we respect the palace and HRM Obi Nwoboshi a lot. we believe that Somebody is working on him because if he is properly advised he wouldn’t have gone to this extent of going against his constitutional power.We have our constitution and it is not stated that anybody outside the youths council will conduct our election ,so any group of persons who are lobbying to bring in anybody to disturb our election will fail woefully because we are wiser now than before. The youths body should be allow to elect their leaders and we don’t need any external interference in this election.
The constitution gives the out going President of Igbuzo Youth Council the legal right to conduct the election that will pilot new youth executives. Candidates have already bought the election forms, made to go to places to get their results, went to court to stamp their forms, sworn affidavits, submitted their forms to the committee, screened and they knew what they saw when they came for screening and for goodness sake, you don’t throw such a process just at a wave of hand. That is a complete injustice to human and injustice to one is injustice to all. All youths must stand at this point and understand that where they stand is where they need to stand.
The recent inauguration of interim government/electoral committee is a brazen abuse of power by traditional and political actors who are expected to be custodians of peace and order in the Community doing the contrary. It is shameful and disgraceful witnessing the current Ibusa Youths Council saga at the moment. It was a deliberate attempt by the Obuzor and the Local Government Chairman to bypass the constitution of the Ibuzor youths council and impose leadership to Unpopular candidate through backdoor arrangement.
We wish to inform the entire Ibusa and Deltans that the political Abracadabra that took place on the 26th-27th in the palace of Obuzor is a mirage and cannot be allowed to stand because the case or suspension of Ibusa Youths Council Election is a matter that is still pending in the court which is tantamount to contempt of court when violated by any person as the law is not a respecter of any person or king.
It is regrettable that the office of the Commissioner of Youth has become a political ground where misguided Ibusa leaders now gather to nefariously conduct themselves in a manner that speaks high sense of irresponsibility and use their closeness to Commissioner to manipulate the Ibusa Youths Council electoral process without respecting the already working legal document called constitution of the youths body and that of Delta State Ministry of Youths Election Guidelines. We forwarded a petition through our lawyer B.O Okoji to the Honourable Commissioner of Youth concerning the inauguration of illegal Interim Committee by the Obozor of Ibusa, but he ignored our petition , hosted the Ibusa youth illegal interim committee in his office yesterday and also allegedly pleaded support to the illegal interim committee for the conduct of Ibusa Youth election.
Based on the above, few EXCO of Ibusa Youths Council visited the office of the Hon. Commissioner for Youths Development today to clarify issues as regarding the illegal imposition of interim youths committee by the Obuzor of Igbuzo but he tactically avoided seeing us as we wasted hours without meeting him probably because he is on the side of the palace.
Finally, the entire Ibusa community is calling on His Excellency, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori who is the Chief Security Officer of the state and other relevant authorities to caution the Obuzor of Ibusa over abuse of democratic process in the affairs of Ibusa Youth Council and checkmate the abuse of power, as their over zealousness for power can cause chaos and breakdown of law and order in Ibusa, As a stitch in time saves nine.
Signed:
Amb. Vincent Ollimah
Secretary General Ibusa Youths Coucil
June 11, 2025.
