SOME weeks now, Urhobo has witnessed a war of articles. I read the one written by Dr. Urhoboyovwi Ufuoma titled, “UPU: Urhobo ancestors are in tears”. I also read the crushing rejoinder by Dr. David Okiemute who lives in the United States. Even the news story in “The Nation” newspaper by the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) roundly denouncing the Chieftaincy title of Ochuko r’ Urhobo that Olorogun Moses Taiga conferred on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, I also read it. All three publications pummeled Taiga, lamenting his Ijaw lineage and unlawful hijack of the UPU. But since the killer publications; I have also read many other articles in cover of Taiga. Surprisingly, none of these articles addressed the critical issues of constitutional breaches and unlawful hijack of the UPU that were raised in the Ufuoma and particularly in the Okiemute articles. Like brute politicians who delight in vain antagonism and cover-ups, they jump over to placate Urhobo with the issue of a fictitious Ufuoma instead of telling big brother Taiga some bitter truths in the interest of Urhobo unity and general good.
The critical issue is not really about Taiga’s paternal lineage but about the legality of his emergence. It’s about the integrity of the UPU institution. It’s about the preservation of the UPU constitution – the sacred sanctuary of the Urhobo ethnic nation. If Taiga’s calculated desecration of the UPU constitution and hijack of the UPU leadership is allowed to stay, then it could mean that any social rascal can jump up in the future and forcefully takeover the UPU and all Urhobo will become unsolicited loyalists. Thus, the issue; is not one that any responsible Urhobo son or daughter can set up himself as the avwebo ( darling) of Taiga or ovweghre (an enemy) to disparage Chief Joe Omene if Urhobo is genuine about its gospel of unity. Our slogan at the UPU says, “Urhobo! Ovuovo!”. This means that the issue between Omene and Taiga is an issue requiring all Urhobo to be sincere first, for the sake of unity and secondly, because our neighbours are watching and laughing how that Urhobo could not resolve its internal matter inwardly.
The UPU is not an animal farm. It’s a duly registered union with physical structures and body of rules. But, as it is, Taiga desires to be PG over the UPU yet he doesn’t want to tread the path of honour and procedure. Thus, he conspired with some extraneous forces and disrupted a lawful UPU congress fixed on December 2, 2016, only to spearhead in January 2017 another congress where he throws up himself as UPU PG. The question is: Is that how patriots’ (I mean lovers of their nation) takeover leadership? What leadership example is Taiga setting for Urhobo in the future? Is Taiga the only man that has ever desired to lead the UPU? Can Taiga having boycotted or violated the UPU constitution apply it? As it is, does Taiga have constitutional powers to summon the meeting of the Annul Urhobo National Congress (AUNC)? UPU branches worldwide pay annual dues of N50,000, Does Taiga have the morale to demand for this payment? That is the crux of the matter.
Let me remind everyone that the idea of a constitutional UPU did not come from Omene. Urhobo ancestors who desired to see a stronger, united, peaceful and better organized UPU drew it up. Chief Victor Otomewo, one of the alleged architects of the infamous congress that threw up Taiga in January 2017, is incidentally one of those that drew up the UPU constitution for every subsequent UPU PG to uphold and apply. What a way to betray the ancestors? The UPU constitution defines the powers (1) to convene the AUNC (2) the composition of the AUNC, that is, persons that are eligible to attend and vote at the AUNC, and (3) to constitute an electoral committee. In Article 10 (a) (7), the UPU Constitution states, ”The President-General shall, subject to the provisions of Article 27, have power to direct the National Secretary to summon the meeting of the AUNC, Emergency Urhobo National Congress, National Executive Meeting and Council of Representatives whenever he considers the holding of such a meeting to be necessary….”. Same Article 10 (a) (4) provides that, “The President-General shall be required to present a presidential address to the AUNC…”. The legal implication of Article 10 (a) (7) and (4) is that any AUNC that bypass these provisions or which did not derive from the power of the incumbent PG or where the PG did not present a presidential address is of no moment and its outcome is null and void ab initio. Article 5 (a) 1-3 provides for the composition of the AUNC. It states, “The composition of the AUNC shall be as follows: (1) All regular members of the National Executive Council (2) 20 members from each of the 22 (now 24) clans of the Urhobo nation selected by the UPU Executives of each Clan and/or the traditional ruler of the said Clan and/or the President-General/Otota of the Clan, and (3) 4 members from the recognized active branches/sub-branches of the UPU outside Urhobo land”. Again, the legal implication of Article 5 (a) 1-3 is that any purported AUNC which did not draw its attendees or voters from the specified groups is invalid and illegal.
As for venue and time of the AUNC, Article 28 (2) provides, “A notice of at least fourteen days shall be required in the case of the AUNC. On the direction of the President-General at least three months’ notice of the intention to hold an AUNC shall be given to branches by the National Secretariat…” This means that any AUNC where sufficient time was not given to branches to turn in their delegates is an exercise in futility. In the monthly meetings of 25/9/16 of the UPU Port Harcourt branch, 3 months notice of AUNC slated for December 2, 2016 given by Omene was announced and documented in her minute book. That is an evidence of compliance. Concerning venue and time of the AUNC, Article 8 (1) (a) provides, “Election of National Officers shall take place only at an AUNC at a venue designed for that purpose by the National Executive Council and when a quorum is formed as provided under Article 5 (c) and 5 (a) 1-3”. Article 8 (c) added, “Election shall be conducted for the National Officers on the first day of the National Congress…” Eliminating the ambiguity contained in Article 8 (c), Article 27 (1) provided, “The AUNC to hold during the Urhobo National Day 1st weekend of December each year…” Again, the implication of all this, is that while Article 8 (1) (a) gives to the incumbent PG the power to determine or fix venue for the AUNC, the combined effect of Article 8 (e) and Article 27 (1) invalidates any AUNC which did not hold 1st weekend of December or which did not draw its quorum based on Article 5 (a) 1-3. By the UPU constitution, the argument over venue of the December 2016 AUNC at Mosogar is baseless. Therefore, let me use this opportunity to congratulate all UPU branch delegates from within and outside the country who were unanimous in their decision that no police force or group of persons can frustrate or hold Urhobo to ransom and move over to Mosogar to have the AUNC.
It’s material in law that only a lawfully constituted electoral body can conduct lawful and valid elections. Urhobo ancestors are not foolish about this. They know it. Thus, they provided for a legitimate appointment of UPU electoral committee. They provided in Article 8 (3) (a) as follows, “Three weeks to the expiration of tenure of all officers of the union, the President-General in consultation with the National Executive Council shall constitute an ad-hoc Electoral Committee of 5 persons for the conduct of the election into all vacant offices”. Urhobo ancestors gave it to the incumbent PG the powers to constitute UPU electoral committee. Accordingly, any UPU electoral committee not constituted by the incumbent PG cannot rightly serve the purpose of conducting a valid and acceptable election that responsible men can accept. By this, it becomes obvious that the January 2, 2017 congress in which Taiga was reportedly elected PG rudely violated the UPU constitution. Taiga’s defenders say his opponents should go to court. The expression, “Go to court” is typical of irresponsible politicians who rig elections and say to the opposition, go to court. No true Urhobo son or daughter would desire that Urhobo internal matter should be settled in law courts. “The law is not made for the righteous but for the lawless and insubordinate…” said Apostle Paul. Good consciences don’t settle matters in law courts. They have a sense of honour and pride. As I mentioned in another piece, Urhobo moral failure is why Urhobo today can proudly settle her internal matters in law courts.
One writer seeking to berate Omene wrote about Taiga’s achievements in life. This is very unnecessary in a fight between two brothers who should be advised to mend fences and become one. But, it’s rather unfortunate that Urhobo in a 21st Century world would define achievements in life only in terms of perishable material riches? Isn’t a good name and exemplary lifestyle greater achievements in life? Wisdom says, “A good name is better than silver and gold?” Therefore, to measure achievements in life only by physical possessions is to describe men that will lose all at death. I stated in another piece that Urhobo had men who were far richer than Chief Mukoro Mowoe but are not known to our generation. Their wealth died with them while the Mowoe’s good name continues to resonate. No one that has value for a good name would want to by-pass or destroy a lawful process. Even in students unions, leaders emerge through lawful processes. Usually, there will be accreditation and screening in order to filter away ineligible voters. True leaders enter into leadership not by the window but by the rule. Late Aziza became UPU PG in 2013 by observing the rules. Omene, after the demise of Aziza did not become PG by brigandage but by the rules. Let’s agree that Taiga is a qualified Urhobo son. Does that confer a right to pull down the UPU constitution and enter into its leadership by force? Jesus said, “Whoever will enter by the window is a thief”. Thieves don’t observe rules and procedures. They break and enter. Taiga is not the only one that has ever desired to be UPU PG. In 2013, I was a delegate from UPU Port Harcourt branch to the AUNC where late Aziza was elected UPU PG. Some of us were actually campaign agents to Chief O. C. Majoroh, a fine gentle man. Majoroh did not for fear that Aziza could win borrow extraneous forces to barricade Urhobo from exercising their franchise. Aziza won and Majoroh congratulated him in the spirit of love and Urhobo unity.
Becoming UPU PG does not require any kind of political agberoism as we saw in 2017. It only requires winning the minds of UPU branches. The idea of UPU PG was because there are unit president at the UPU branches. Now that UPU braches did not participate in the election of Taiga, the question is: Which of the branches can he preside over as PG? Obviously, all those carrying Taiga shoulder high and making all the noise on pages of newspapers are indeed Urhobo destroyers. Check it out, and you will find out that they are not members of any UPU branches. But, as things are, does Taiga have a walking and talking relationship with any of the UPU branches or is he a newspaper PG? The UPU Port Harcourt for example, was not notified needless invited to the congress where Taiga was thrown up as PG. Thus, can Taiga be a PG over the branch? A friendly answer is a simply NO. I do not believe in the riches of cars, houses and naira and kobo alone. I also believe in the riches of integrity, good name, mercy, love, justice, obedience, honour and truth. Even students don’t gather non-students to vote in an election where they intend to be president over other students. Unfortunately, Taiga gathered together in January 2017 non-UPU members to vote him as PG over UPU branches. This is an error.
It’s certain that whoever is not a delegate from any UPU recognized branch, cannot exercise a valid vote at UPU elections. And that being true, the gathering of cronies and friends who tell long stories about the lonely road they traveled in January 2017, can merely pass as the greatest disregard for Urhobo ancestors. It’s fair that Taiga should publish the names of branches of UPU and delegates that voted at the January 2017 congress where he was purportedly elected. UPU election is a collegiate election. They are not opened to every Tom, Dick and Harry only because they are Urhobo. Only delegates from recognized UPU branches are eligible to votes at UPU elections. The UPU Port Harcourt branch had its election on Sunday November 25 2015 and Chief Prof. S.W.E Ibodje, the outgoing President had to personally drive all non-delegates out of the election hall leaving only the electoral panel, aspirants and 3 delegates per each due-paying kingdoms inside the hall to elect officers of their choice to lead the union in the next four years. That is also the sequence at the UPU national level – 4 delegates per branch outside Urhobo and 20 delegates per branch within Urhobo kingdoms. Following the above, the retinue of social club members that are queuing behind Taiga, except they are valid delegates from UPU branches in Lagos, they represent Urhobo saboteurs. Honestly, Taiga does not need a law court to know that he has bad advisers or on the wrong side of history. Noble men do not need the compulsion of law to repudiate wrongs. On their own, they act right.
Permit me to be a little bit critical. Is it the chieftaincy title of Ochuko r’ Urhobo that Taiga conferred on Okowa the wrongs he came to correct at the UPU? I saw Taiga’s campaign promises and I said this is pure politics. Taiga is midway into a term of three years yet Urhobo has not seen signs of a Mukoro Mowoe University, Microfinance Bank for Urhobo women or of a rebuild Urhobo College. Almost two years and it’s all excuses. The UPU is not a place for this kind of trifling politics. Chief Igbinedion built a university at Okada without fronting it as bait to becoming PG in Benin; E. K Clark built a university at Kiagbodo yet he did not become INC PG. Our own Michael and Cecilia Ibru built a university at Agbarha-Otor without Michael and Cecilia jointly becoming PG of Agbarha Kingdom. Reckless politics made Urhobo a nobody in a smaller Delta State. Reckless politics killed a patriotic Ogbe Onokpite, our vivacious Chief Agbatutu, our passionate Senator Brume. Very sadly, Urhobo is bringing reckless politics into the UPU to mark Urhobo final burial. I have said it many times that Urhobo should not be strongmen at home.
In a needless defense, those who feel they love Taiga more than us became reckless, passing the infamous chieftaincy title of Ochuko r’ Urhobo that was conferred on Okowa as a mere Odova. It’s known in Urhobo society norms that Odova is a personal derivative from individual socio-philosophical persuasion. When has it become a practice in Urhobo to confer Odova on other people? And if there was need to confer Odova on anyone, why should it be on Okowa? Has Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri or Anioma considered Okowa for Odova too? Is there anything spectacular that Okowa has done for Urhobo more than he has done for Ijaw, Itsekiri or Anioma to have emboldened Taiga to confer on him the Ochuko r’ Urhobo Odova? Apparently, the conferment on Okowa represents the new civilization in Urhobo. In a 21st Century world of scientific evolution and internet prosperity, Urhobo is growing beggarly and sycophantic in approach to life. It’s a civilization of eye service. The Urhobo’s new way of life is the reason Urhobo ancestors are in tears needless when their hard earned UPU is Balkanized in honour of individual interest. For sure, only ancestors that stood for honour in Urhobo while they live are in tears but not those that stood for nothing.
Goodluck Edafe is Secretary UPU, Port Harcourt.
