Again, Orimerunmu CDC erupts in crisis over attempt to impose Exco

Pandemonium broke out at a meeting of the Orimerunmu Area Community Development Association following attempts by the out-going chairman, Michael Akinfolarin, to dictate and impose his candidates on members present at an emergency meeting he called to organise a shambolic election.

Sources at the scene of the chaotic meeting which held in the house of Pastor Olawale, who was said to have been listed as returned unopposed by Akinfolarin in the attempted election, told National Infinity that they got notices for the meeting less than 12 hours to the time of the meeting while some claimed that notices for the controversial meeting were circulated to a selected few on that Sunday afternoon just a few hours to the meeting.

 In total disregard for procedures, rule and regulations guiding the electoral process into CDAs and CDCs in Ogun State, Akinfolarin constituted himself into a one man electoral committee, reeling out officers that must be returned unopposed, after he had attempted to disenfranchise some CDAs, to the consternation of all.

He reportedly told the gathering that he had the option to either conduct an election or pick officers for the OACDC through zoning and that he has opted for the later.

Under his zoning arrangement, “offices will be zoned to ‘5 mother CDAs’ while each of the ‘mother CDAs’ will in turn share offices zoned to them with other CDAs that have come out of them.

Other issues raised were his validity as a sitting chairman of the OACDC to just wake up and announce ‘election is holding today’ where there are no Electoral Committee, nomination forms and other ingredients that make up an electoral process.

Among offices listed by Akinfolarin as no go areas in what an aggrieved observer called ‘Michael’s Kangaroo election’ were Ex-officio 1, held by Olawale, that of the secretary held by one Laitan and the incumbent treasurer; Ineh Oloko.

As the usual practice for such an election, officers from the Ogun State’s ministry of Community Development and Cooperatives and their counterparts from the local government were supposed to be on ground to conduct and supervise the process, only one Mrs. Ogunyombo, identified as an officer from community development department in Ofada/Mokoloki LCDA accompanied Akinfolarin to the meeting.

The meeting had barely gone mid-way when angry youths from the community stormed the venue questioning his audacity after he has been warned to stay off the affairs of Orimerunmu since he has been declared ‘persona non-grata’ in reaction to his arbitrary creation of CDAs that have set some areas of the community against one another.

The free for all that ensued after the restive youths invasion of the venue abruptly ended the meeting and the election or selection failed to hold. It led to an invitation by policemen from nearby Mowe Police Station at the instance of Akinfolarin.

At the Mowe Police Station, the Divisional Crime Officer, Mr. Ajayi prevailed on all parties to the Orimerunmu crisis to go home and resolve their differences and allow peace to reign in the community. 

Related posts

Leave a Comment