By Peter Okutu
OJI-RIVER—About seven aspirants from Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State, vying to represent Aninri, Awgu and Oji-River federal constituency at the National  Assembly in the forthcoming 2011 elections, have rejected the Professor S. Ukpabi-led committee set up by the Greater Awgu Forum, a socio-political group, to ascertain which of the three local governments should produce the next candidate for the election.

In a statement signed by the aspirants from Oji–River and circulated to newsmen, even before the committee released its report in Enugu Tuesday, noted that the manner  the committee carried out its assignment left much to be desired.

They faulted the manner the committee discharged its duties, noting that while the committee was yet to submit its report to Greater Awgu Forum, an aspirant from Awgu was already brandishing the recommendations of the  committee  in the public domain.

Confirming this allegation during the presentation of the report, an aspirant from Oji–River, Dr. Okey Ibeabuchi,  who was at the venue, noted with dismay that just as their statement reported the outcome, the actual report read by Professor Ukpabi confirmed their fears.

Dr. Ibeabuchi noted that it was hard to believe that Aninri committee members voted against the interest of Oji–River when in actual fact they supported their son for a third term bid.

He urged all indigenes and stakeholders of Greater Awgu to jettison the committee’s report as the forum was not competent to take the position of stakeholders of Awgu who should actually take decisions on issues as sensitive as the one in question.

He, therefore, warned the forum to desist from causing confusion with this “unacceptable report” as not all the aspirants belong to the Greater Awgu Forum, saying its decision could not  be binding on all the aspirants.

He  called for a level playing field to enable all the aspirants test their popularity within the three local government areas.