2nd term: ‘Stop Ohaukwu council boss sister, Gloria from impersonating, hijacking Chairperson’s position – group begs Gov. Nwifuru, wife

By Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki

A women group under the umbrella of ‘Concerned Ohaukwu Women organization’ have few hours to the swearing-in of council chairmen in the state, petitioned the governor of Ebonyi State Francis Nwifuru and the wife, to intervene and stop one, Mrs Gloria Ugwoke (elder Sister to the Ohaukwu Council Chairman) from parading herself and impersonating the wife of the chairman, Mrs Ukamaka Odono.

The women group who condemned in totality what they called impersonation and absurdity going on unabated in Ohaukwu Local Government Area since August, 2022 when Chief Ikechukwu Odono was sworn in as Chairman of the Council, vowed to stage a protest on the swearing-in day.

They accused Mrs. Ugwuoke of allegedly hijacking the position of Chairperson of the Council, and parading herself as one and taking all responsibilities and benefits accrued to the position, instead of the wife of the Chairman, Mrs Ukamaka Odono.

The women in a statement signed by it’s Chairman, Mrs Odinaka Eze and made available to Journalists in Abakaliki, urged the wife of the governor, Mary-Maudline Uzoamaka Nwifuru to use her good office and stop Mrs. Ugwuoke from impersonating the wife of the council chairman, insisting that they won’t allow such absurdity to happen again in the chairman’s second tenure.

They said that this impersonation has lasted for two years despite public outcry and the bad image it is bringing to Ebonyi State Government and Ohaukwu Local Government in particular. The women lamented that instead of minding her own home, Mrs Gloria Ugwoke, a Civil Servant with Ebonyi State Government, quickly abandoned her work on his younger brother’s assumption of office, relegated the Chairman’s wife to the background, grabbed the Chairperson’s position by force with the support of few individual members of the family who ganged up against the wife of the Chairman.

They recalled that on the day of the inauguration of the Chairman, Mrs Gloria Ugwoke, forcefully asserted herself as the Chairperson of the Council, attacked and pushed down the wife of the Chairman at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium and sat on the seat tagged for the wife of the Chairman. Since that day, she has been administering the office with impunity, attending meetings with other Chairpersons and hosting public functions as Ohaukwu Chairperson.

The women alleged that Gloria and her cohorts used diabolic means to cage and draft the Chairman into their agenda.

The women who said it is time to let the wife of the Governor, Chief Mrs Uzoamaka Nwifuru know that the person attending her meetings on the capacity of Chairperson of Ohaukwu is an imposter, noted that such wouldn’t have happened during the time of Chief Mrs Eunice Ukamaka Egwu, Chief Mrs Josephine Elechi and Chief Mrs Rachel Umahi.

They called on the Governor’s wife, Chief Mrs Uzoamaka Ogbonna Nwifuru to stand up and save her fellow woman from such humiliation and depression in order not to leave a legacy of bad precedent.

The petition reads in part: “We have endured so much and we have exhausted our patience. This time we are going to face her and her charms. We will arrest her for impersonation. We already have records of that. We can embarrass her anywhere if we see her parading herself. Since she doesn’t have shame and conscience, we will force her to have it this time.” They added.

“Position of Chairperson is not captured by the constitution of Nigeria. We know that. But it has been a practice since 1999 from Federal to Local Government level. By political definition, Chairperson means spouse and Gloria Ugwoke is not Odogwu’s wife. She should mind her husband and stop behaving in a manner that suggests she is regretting her marriage. What goes around comes around.

“She is sowing a seed she will definitely reap either today or tomorrow. But we are saying enough is enough. If the Chairman is not using his wife as Chairperson this time, let him close the office and run without the Chairperson. We won’t allow any other person except the right person.

When contacted, the Chairman’s wife, Mrs Ukamaka Odono who initially declined comment said “I love my husband and my husband loves me. I am living with him and I will continue to live. But I don’t know what is happening. I think he is being manipulated diabolically to deny me my rightful position. It is not ordinary. Nobody can help me. But I have handed it over to God” she lamented.

In a swift reaction, Mrs Gloria Ugwuoke said: “If they wrote a petition against me, Her Excellency, the wife of the governor, would not call me. She has my contacts and everything. I didn’t appoint myself as the Chairperson of Ohaukwu LGA, somebody appointed me.

“I’m waiting for the wife of the governor to call me, she knows me and has my contact. She knows that I’m the sister to the Ohaukwu Council chairman, Ikechukwu Odono and it’s not a hidden thing. And I didn’t appoint myself as the Chairperson of Ohaukwu LGA” she stressed.

The Chairman, Ikechukwu Odono, is yet to respond to the messages sent to him at the time of filing this report, and even when contacted on phone for reaction, he toldThe Nations News Nigeriacorrespondent, that he will call back and never called.