… Gives IMG 48Hours Ultimatum to withdraw statement

For his pan-development leadership, the President General of Isoko Development (IDU), High Chief Iduh Amadhe has bagged a confidence vote from Isoko Youths in Asaba (IYIA), a non-partisan, socio-cultural and community advocacy group comprising of youths from all Isoko speaking communities across the state.

•High Chief Iduh Amadhe

The group also condemned attacks by Isoko Monitoring Group (IMG) on Iduh, which was described as attention seeking and malicious, stressing that they must henceforth desist from insulting Isoko Nation leadership under the pretense of advocacy.

In the same vein, IYIA gave the IMG a 48hrs ultimatum to withdraw the unprovoked insults and tender with immediate effect an unreserved apology to High Chief Iduh Amadhe.

Contained in a communiqué signed by the President and Publicity Secretary, Mr Ewomazino Odugala and  Palmer Nathaniel after an emergency meeting in ASABA, the group stated that the Isokos were conversant with Chief Iduh’s antecedents and that no distortion of the personality the man has built over time would stand. “From the military era to this day, Chief Iduh has been a reputable contractor of  over 30yrs standing and has been patronized by different governments. He has never been known for contract abandonment or delivery of substandard jobs.”

They declared that the position of the PG of IDU is voluntary service to motherland which does not come with remuneration of any kind, hence it is awkward to assume that an occupant of the office would abandon their legitimate source of livelihood for the fear of an eventual “conflict of interest”.

The group said it was the height of maliciousness to tag thé Ozoro market project as “abandoned”. “There is a clear divide between an abandoned project and an ongoing project. A visit to the site today will reveal the presence of men and materials. Despite experiencing funding challenges, Chief Iduh keeps deploying  personal resources for the progress of the project. We hereby admonish IMG to get their facts right.”

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According to them, “The Aviara Fish Farm, the second project motioned by the IMG in their letter was awarded more than a decade ago even before Chief Iduh’s assumption of the IDU presidency. Overtime, Chief Iduh has explained to the Isoko people the setbacks the project has been facing which is from the government end. At this stage, we expect concerned patriots of Isoko to advocate for a review of the project by the government and the deployment of adequate resources for the resuscitation of the project in line with the founding fathers’ objectives and not the criminalization of a man who is obviously handicapped by circumstances beyond his control.”

“We view the reference to the appointment of Comrade Garvin Iduh by His Excellency Sen. Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, in the said letter as an act of pettiness taken too far. Garvin have been a leading voice in the PDP for the past 7yrs. He has contributed immensely to the victory of the party during several elections at huge personal cost. He is private a and successful businessman whose contacts transcend beyond the Isoko enclave and does not necessarily need the recommendation of his father to be so appointed. We are by this publication challenging the IMG to come out with names of those who have received appointments in this dispensation that are more deserving than Garvin.”

“When the same IMG came with the 1% budget agitation, it was Chief Iduh and the IDU that gave the struggle a human face. Then, the IMG never raised any allegation of conflict of interest. Till this day, Chief Iduh has aligned with any group that seeks to promote the interest of the Isoko Nation even when such agitations puts him at cross-purposes with the government. If Chief Iduh irrespective of his dealings with the government over the years has remained firm and committed to promoting the interests of Isoko , it is  therefore an insult of thé highest order for the IMG to assert that an ordinary political position as little as a Special Assistant will now become the basis for a man in the calibre of Chief Iduh to sing differently.” The communique read.

VANGUARD