The caretaker chairman and vice-chairman chosen for the newly established Ifesowapo Local Council Development Area of the state have been asked to be replaced by the youths of the Araromi Obu village in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, through an appeal to the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
51 candidates were vetted and authorized by the state House of Assembly on Thursday to serve on the Interim Management Committee, which is composed of the state’s 18 local governments and LCDAs.
The state governor’s list of nominees, whose names were forwarded to the Assembly, was intended to oversee council operations through the February 2024 LG elections.
The two nominees for their LCDAs, according to the Araromi-Obu teenagers, were not locals and were not well-liked by the populace.
The Youths President in the community, Mr. Dayo Akinro, who spoke on Friday about the agitation, in Akure, the state capital, said the appointment of the duo did not reflect the spirit of fairness to the people of Araromi-Obu.
Akinro said, “We respectively express our outright displeasure and rejection of the nomination of two individuals (chairman and vice-chairman) because their nomination and appointment does not reflect the spirit of fairness to Araromi-Obu as the host community and the indigenes of the town.
“This appointment is considered an embarrassment on the face of an average indigene of Araromi-Obu because the council is newly created thus having a non-indigene as the pioneer head in the administration of the council negates the spirit of fairness and sense of belonging as indigenes of a community like ours should enjoy.”
He noted that the nominations of the duo for the community may deepen the conspiracy against the interest of their LCDA.
“Their appointment is considered an insult to the collective sensibility and it is set to deepen the age-long conspiracy against the interest of our community if not rescinded. To this extent, we reject them, also, the gods of our land reject them.
“On this basis, considering the afore-stated reasons and in order to have a peaceful take-off of the new local council and subsequent symbolic working relationship with the community, we demand as a matter of saliency, necessity and urgency the withdrawal of the nomination and replacement with the indigenes of Araromi-Obu in the interest of fairness and justice and considering Governor Akeredolu’s indelible antecedents in the fight against injustice in our national life,” the youths president appealed.
