Ahead of the November 6, 2024 election of the Enugu Timber Union, New Era branch, stakeholders and former leaders of the Union have called for free, fair and credible election, devoid of rancour and acrimony.
Some of the former chairmen and secretaries who had ruled the Union in the past made the plea at a press briefing held at Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Enugu state council, on Tuesday evening.
The former chairmen, made up of Chief Vincent Onyia; Chief Benjamin Aniogbo; Chief Levi Obi; Chief Ndubuisi Nnamani and former Secretary, Chief Stanley Okenwa, said they addressed the press briefing because they have perceived that there were moves in some quarters to impose some candidates on the Union.
To ensure credible election, they called on the executive of the Union to conduct a transparent election.
The concerned stakeholders also called on the Chairman of Enugu South local government area, Hon. Caleb Ani, to provide adequate security on the election day to eschew break down of law and order.
They posited that they are not supporting any candidate but that they want peaceful election to be held.
“We are not partisan and we are not supporting any candidate but only concerned about a peaceful conduct of the election in accordance with the Constitution of Enugu Timber Union.
“We are calling for a level playing field for all the candidates to ensure a free and fair, peaceful and credible election on the day of the election,” they point out,” They said.
They went further to point out that since 1949, they had been holding peaceful elections of the Union and would not want to witness a different thing on November 6.
They also pointed out that they have an internal arrangement in Enugu state other than the constitution, that the position of Chairmanship of the Union should be rotated among the three senatorial zones of Enugu State – East, West and North and that this should be maintained to ensure equity and fair play.
Fielding questions after the briefing, the former Secretary, Chief Stanley Okenwa, explained that they were constrained to address the press because as the election is drawing close, they noticed some moves to disenfranchise some people by bringing new rules that were not hitherto applicable to the Union.
“For instance, the incumbent executive has come up with a clause that one must clear all his indedptedness and must own a shed at the market before participating in the election which was not in the constitution but a subterfuge to disenfranchise some from participating in the forthcoming election,” he said.
Okenwa pointed out that in a final analysis one man should not go for two tenures in a senatorial zone but should make way for someone else from the same senatorial zone to complete two tenures of six years.
Pointedly, he said that Enugu East has completed their six-year tenure and should now make way for Enugu North, also known as Nsukka Zone to produce the next Chairman for the Union.