By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
There are indications that a heavy crisis is looming in Tai local government area between the chairman, Mbakpone Okpe and his councillors.
TPCN learnt that the crisis was caused by the alleged refusal of the chairman to grant the car loan request made by the councillors recently.
Angered by the chairman’s action, the councillors, a source revealed, petitioned him to the Rivers State House of Assembly and complained to a few other leaders of their party – the Peoples Democratic Party.
The aggrieved councillors also consider other options to force the chairman to comply.
The options, the source further revealed, include a protest march, going on strike or emergency recess and impeachment of the chairman.
The source, a staff of Tai LGA, explained to TPCN on Saturday that some party stakeholders in the LGA are trying to intervene in the matter.
The source added: “This matter has been on for some time since the chairman started his 2nd-anniversary projects. He has been commissioning projects. It’s like some councillors accused him of neglecting their wards.
“They feel he is marginalising their wards, and the other councillors came in. They felt the chairman is being selective in packing money and enjoying alone. So they requested a car loan. I think that’s how the matter started.
“Before we knew what was happening, we started hearing that the
councillors have reported the chairman to the state house of assembly through a petition.”
TPCN’s investigation, however, revealed that the embattled Tai chairman, Hon. Okpe, has done projects in about seven wards of the LGA and is planning to do projects in the remaining wards.
The chairman, it was learnt, has been showing signs of prudent management of resources in terms of project delivery and has refused to be reckless with the LGA’s funds, a situation that is allegedly not going down well with specific stakeholders in the LGA who would have preferred an orgy of looting and sharing.
Asked if the present rift between the chairman and his councillors is linked to this alleged conspiracy, the source explained: “I wouldn’t know, to be frank. But I can tell you that the chairman has been working hard since he came on board. He is delivering projects almost in all the ten wards, town halls, markets, etc. But one thing is that he’s not a noise maker, so most people may not hear about what he’s doing.
“As for the councillors, we expect them to take things easy. Most of them are young people who have not married. They still have a long future in their political career, so they shouldn’t be in a hurry to make it. At least they’re being paid salaries and other allowances, and we know there was a time they collected loans from a bank in the name of the LGA. They should manage it well; we all know the economy is bad.”
On how he thinks the matter will finally end, the source said: “I believe it will end peacefully; we’re all praying for that. The chairman and councillors must work together for sustainable development in our LGA. By God’s grace, the matter will be resolved peacefully because we heard that some elders have intervened.”
