by Abiola Olawale
The Delta State Commissioner for Education (Technical), Joan Onyemaechi, has announced her resignation from the cabinet of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the state.
Onyemaechi stated that her decision to resign from her position is to allow her younger brother, Jude Chuwkuwinke, to fight for a second term as the Chairman of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The ex-Commisdioner who is also a former member of the House of Representatives member for the Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency of Delta State said she opted to step aside to pave way for her younger brother.
Onyemaechi made this announcement while addressing her church congregation during a church service at her church in Asaba on Sunday.
Onyemaechi disclosed that following the bickering and jealousy being faced by her family over her brother’s second-term bid, she decided to tender her resignation in the interest of her brother and clan.
She said: “Praise thy Lord, I just want to put it on record, I came to minister today to you here as a former commissioner of the Ministry of Technical Education. In my local government, my younger brother is the council chairman, he’s done one tenure and he is returning for the second tenure and the position is zoned to my clan.
“And people are agitating and fighting that why am I the one always favoured in government? That I am a commissioner, why should my brother return as a council chairman for a second tenure?
“And when something is zoned to your clan, you have to be very careful and we have three clans. The Nsukwa clan has done their two tenures, Ogwashi-uku did her two tenures, so it came to Ubulu and incidentally, my younger brother is the council chairman.
“And for us to complete our second tenure, they said why should brother and sister occupy two positions and for me, I was given the opportunity and privilege to rise politically so I must allow another person to rise as well.
“So, I have decided not because he’s my brother because if it were another person I would do the same by resigning for such a person’s interest. Since the position is zoned to our clan and they said because of my tion, my brother will not be allowed to do his second tenure, so went to my boss, the governor, and appealed to him that I wanted to resign so that my brother can go back to the council to do his second tenure which is due to my clan.
“So I have resigned as commissioner to enable my brother to complete his second tenure.”
The New Diplomat reports that the forthcoming local government council elections in Delta State have been generating massive controversies among members of the PDP.
The development had generated into full-blown crisis as some members of the party had staged a protest demanding that their clan produce the next chairman of the council.
In Ughelli North Constituency 1, Chief Moses Ogegere, chairman and Comrade Ubini Isaac, secretary, of Agbarha PDP Elite Forum, (APEF), in an address to the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, said their ward has not been treated fairly in terms of appointments despite its huge votes during elections.
In Aniocha South local government area of the state, a group known as Equity Crusaders in Nsukwa Clan, claims it is their turn to produce the next chairmanship candidate.
The three clans that are in serious contestation over which clan is equitably qualified to produce the next Chairman are Ogwashi Uku, Ubulu-Ukwu and Nsukwa.
They faulted Onyemaechi for allegedly trying to disrupt the zoning formula due to greed and avarice.
The people of the Nsukwa clan had insisted that it was their turn to produce the next council chairman and urged the education (technical) commissioner not to use her influence and closeness to the corridors of power to disrupt the zoning formula.
