WARRI—LAWYER and public affairs commentator, Jesutega Onokpasa, has taken a swipe at Chief Joe Omene on what he claimed is Omene’s objectionable posture in the lingering crisis currently plaguing Urhobo Progress Union, UPU.

According to Onokpasa, Omene’s conduct amounted to the repudiation of some of the core values Urhobos across their various kingdoms and clans, hold in common as what kept the entire ethnic nationality together.

Addressing newsmen in Warri, yesterday, Onokpasa queried: “Why does Omene keep writing petition after petition to authorities that absolutely lack the capacity to grant him the undeserved remedies he seems so desperate to grab to the detriment of the greater Urhobo cause?

He keeps writing to all manner of law enforcement agencies alleging wrongful removal from office, usurpation of his role, conduct likely to breach the public peace, as if any genuine Urhobo man is hungry at this point in time to claim to be Joe Omene of all people!”

Onokpasa claimed that Omene was never qualified to be UPU President, having never been properly nominated in order to be qualified for election to the post.

He said: “We never trusted him and never wanted him as our leader. In fact, he was never even qualified to lead us. Most of us were more amused than impressed when he started trumpeting the Uvwiamuge Declaration, but decided to adopt a wait and see approach knowing full well that we could always sack him should he deviate from the right path.”