By Akpokona Omafuaire
WARRI — Controversy has continued to trail the inauguration of the interim management Board of the Delta State oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC, following the expiration of the Chief Wellington Okirika-led board as stipulated in the law establishing the commission.

However, a Gbaramatu opinion leader, Chief Moses Bebenimibo, has said it was meant to marginalise the Delta Ijaw people as Okirikra’s tenure was hijacked mid way by the Delta State government.

Bebenimibo in a statement, yesterday said the law establishing DESOPADEC stipulated a term of three years for both the chairman and commissioners, but that the Okirika-led board tenure was sidelined by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and so should be allowed time to complete its term without interference as the agency was meant for the oil producing communities.

He maintained that the Governor had no moral justification to end the board’s term, knowing that he was the de facto Chairman, and this anomaly should be addressed.

“The Governor took over the Chairmanship position till the end of the three years, so no Ijaw has headed the commission. We want our own three years. If he fails to do this, we will not vote for him. He has not empowered any Ijaw person since he started his regime, now he has removed our man,” he said.

“Much as we support the rotation of the chairmanship position of the board, we will not want to be short changed, it is not a threat but we know that if he does not allow fairness in this matter, we shall not vote for him again,” he said.

“There are rumours that he does not want to constitute a new board but want to use the interim board to empower his cronies. We are watching him keenly, the whole world know that Okirikra never completed  one year in office.”

He reminds the Delta State government and the Delta State House of Assembly of the consequence of any attempt to monopolize the commission for political selfish interest and to the detriment of the oil communities, which he said will be disastrous, noting that the commission being an interventionist agency to ameliorate the sufferings of the oil communities, should not be toyed with for any reason.