It’ll be foolhardy to kick against Governor Umo Eno’s decision for LG chairmen to reside in their domain – Ika Council Boss Denies Media Report
The Chairman of Ika Local Government Area, Hon Malachy Ukpeh has described a recent media report alleging his objection to the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno’s recent directive on councils’ chairmen in the State to reside in their respective council areas as false, misleading and a deliberate plot by mischief makers to create disaffection between him and his boss, the State Governor.
Reacting to The Ink Newspaper publication with a bold headline ”Udung Uko, Ika Council Chairmen Kick against Umo Eno’s directive on living in the domain”, which also quoted the Ika council boss as saying that ‘Umo Eno should release the money to Councils not to tell them where to live as a fabricated report that is sponsored by some politicians.
He stated that at no time, did he grant any reporter from the said media house interview and challenge the reporter to be ready to make public the clip of the purported interview. He pointed out that the purported closed-door meeting he said to have held with few friends and colleagues was nothing but a figment of the author and his or her sponsor’s imagination.
According to the Ika council boss, it will be an act of insubordination, rascality and outright display of foolishness for him to challenge the State Governor on a well-intended policy aimed at fast-tracking development at the rural communities of the state.
He added that as a true son of Ika who was born and raised in the community, he has no reason to object to the decision of the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno for him to reside in Ika.
He therefore stated that the directive which will soon become a law, will go a long way to cement the already existing cordial relationship between him and his people and urged politicians to be more concerned about the peace, unity and development of the local government area rather than using the media to try to score an elusive political point. He then appealed to the State Governor, whom he described as his dear father and boss not to take the false media report to heart as he can vow, did not emanate from him.
It could be recalled that the Ink Newspaper in the said report alleged that Hon Ukpe was arguing the directive of the state governor when he held a closed-door session with a few friends and his colleagues where he is said to have described Pastor Umo Eno’s directive as a tall order, insisting that it is not a must that council chairmen live with their people…
on his part, the deputy leader of the Ika legislative council, Hon Uduakobong Ekereke who frowned at the publication lamented that the report was not only false and a well-orchestrated hatched job sponsored by mischievous elements in Ika but also a smack on the sensibility of well-meaning Ika people.
Wondering why a newspaper like the Ink, will consciously throw caution to the wind in a bid to do the bidding of its sponsors can deliberately undermine the ethics of the journalism profession, and charged the leadership of the Nigeria Union Journalists( NUJ) to step up its sanitation mechanism with a view to weeding off bad eggs among them.
He maintained that there was never a time Ika council chairman held such a meeting and challenged the Newspaper to come out with the venue, time and those who were in attendance of the said closed-door meeting.
He however appealed to the State Governor, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno and the general public to please ignore the false publication as it did not emanate Hon Malachy Ukpeh.
