By Godwin Oghre

Chief Joe Omene is the President General of Urhobo Progress Union. In this interview with Vanguard he dwelt on several controversial issues surrounding the recent national congress of the union, his re-emergence as PG among other issues. Excerpt:

The circumstances leading to your recent re-election as President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union is currently generating serious controversy, what do you have to say?

Let me start by saying that no one, no matter how rich or how highly connected can destroy the Urhobo nation. We are intact. Those condemning my re-election are the same who wanted to frustrate the just concluded National Congress of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU. Some of them said they wanted to rule UPU, but they forgot to realise that no one can take over the leadership of UPU by force.

They have been trying to destroy the socio-political fortune of UPU. This time they even went ahead to hire thugs and even got the cooperation of some security officials, in their bid to derail the national congress and the election which took place on a Friday. How can one say he is Urhobo and loves Urhobo nation yet he is going ahead to hire thugs to derail the Urhobo National Congress?

Chief Joe Omene… embattled UPU President General

So how did the congress go?

The constitution of UPU provides that the life span of the national executive committee is three years and my first tenure just ended and the constitution stipulates that the election to fill the offices of the national executive committee must be held in the annual National congress and that’s what happened recently. So we followed due process. First, a three-month notice was published as constitutionally provided for, before it took place.

The police, however, barricaded the entrance into the Urhobo House in Uvwiamuge, venue of the congress, so we shifted to the Okere-Urhobo House in Warri and on getting there, the police also barricaded it. When we found out that they were frustrating us, we moved the congress to Mosogar in Ethiope West LGA where there is a big and a conducive civic center to do the congress, and it was done there in Mosogar Civic Center. The election was also done there. It was the reception that was done in my country home.

Was it constitutional for the congress to hold in Mosogar Civic Centre?

We must abide by the UPU Constitution in everything we are doing. Article 8 section 1(a) of the Constitution is clear on the issue of venue of the annual national congress of UPU. That provision states that “The election of the national officers shall take place only at an annual Urhobo National Congress at a venue designed for that purpose by the National Executive Council…” Before the congress, I headed the national executive council and after the election, I remain the head of the national executive council, and everything has been well with UPU.

So how were you re-elected?

Again, the UPU Constitution empowers the national exco to screen the contestants. However, since I was re-contesting for the position of PG I deemed it fit not to screen my co-contestants to avoid criticism. So we inaugurated a four-man election committee, and we told them to adhere strictly to the constitution. We also forwarded the list of the contestants to the committee.

However, contrary to the provisions of the constitution, the Chairman of the committee went ahead to clear non-financial members of UPU to contest the election, against the wish of the other three members of the committee. As if that was not enough, he negated the constitutional provision in Article Section 2 and 3 of the constitution which stated that the delegates to the election should be elected by the branch executives of UPU exco in each of the 22 clans, as well as the recognized active branches and sub-branches of UPU outside Urhobo land. There were 22 clans as at the time of the constitution. As I speak, there are 24 clans.

The committee chairman went on and started taking delegate list from the royal fathers, many of who are not financial members of UPU, instead of taking the lists that emanated from the UPU branch executives in the 24 clans. My exco then queried him but instead of following what the Constitution says; he opted to resign and he resigned but the others finished up the task according to the constitution and, happily, the election came up. Each branch across the world sent four delegates to the election, and I was re-elected.

You just said some of the royal fathers are not members of UPU, how do you mean?

UPU is a socio-cultural umbrella body that governs and protects all the interests of the Urhobo ethnic nationality, even its political interest. That is why it cannot be separated from politics in Urhobo land. It came up in 1931 for these purposes. It defends the interest of the Urhobo nation in the political scene. Except the PG, every other member of UPU can be a politician. Every Urhobo person is qualified to be a member but only financial members are constitutionally recognised as members. Most of the people troubling the interest of Urhobo nation today are not financial members of UPU.

What then is the place of the kings in UPU?

Constitutionally, the Kings only play advisory role. They have no voting right. They can neither vote nor be voted for. They only advise us, and it ends there.

But it is on note that some of the kings have consistent disagreed with your exco, why?

The Kings are appointed by government and government pay them and dictate to them. Unlike the kings who mostly serve as government mouth piece to the people, UPU usually defends the rights of the people against the unpopular and obnoxious dictates of the kings and those paying them. That is why UPU is very dear to the people.

I hear that there was a court order restraining the conduct of the election?

There was no court order. When the case that our opponents filed against us came recently, the judge even frowned at a sponsored publication which they did in the media saying that there was a restraining court order against the conduct of the election. The judge queried their people in the open court, saying he never made such purported order. We have even questioned the jurisdiction of the court, and the court has adjourned to January 17th, 2017 for ruling on its Jurisdiction.

The chairman of the Association of Urhobo Presidents General, Dr. Peter Obakponovwe, was the one who secured the restraining order of the court, and he some other community presidents were absent in the congress and election in Mosogar, yet you said the whole exercise went well constitutionally, how do you mean?

First of all, for Dr. Obakponovwe to call himself Chairman of Association of Presidents General of Urhobo clans is wrong because he held the position when he was the President General of his Agbon Clan. His tenure as President General of Agbon Clan has long expired and he has since ceased to a President General.

As such he is no longer the Chairman of the Presidents General. That means he is currently usurping some one’s position.

I hear that there are some pending law suits among members of your executive committee?

We have for long settled our differences. There is no law suit among us for now.

I also hear that a section of Urhobo nation is planning to conduct another election, what do you have to say about that?

They cannot do that as it will amount to illegality. The constitution says only the President General can direct the National Secretary to call for an Urhobo Annual National Congress.   See Article 10 Section 7 of the UPU constitution. As of now the National exco is intact.   Except if such people want to call it another name.