….Purported election and inauguration of new Excos for ORO Youth movement (OYOM)
For the benefit of brotherhood and human kindness, it is here stated that no organization can conduct any election without the knowledge of its leadership. The leadership of Oro Youth Movement (OYOM) is not in doubt and there is no contention whatsoever. A legal proceedings in Suit No: HOR/27/2015 decided on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 clearly indicates that Comrade Victor Mkpofor is the undisputed National President of OYOM.
The criminal misappropriation of the resources of OYOM by its then President, Comrade Etifit Nkereuwem had since 2014 been committed to the police for investigation. Etifit Nkereuwem, after being granted bail had instituted a case of abuse of his fundamental rights, with Suit No: HOR/FHR.47/2014 against OYOM, simply because he was arrested and asked to give account of the monies accruing to the association to the tune of N30million. The matter was accordingly decided against him by Her Lordship Justice Theresa I. Obot on March 14, 2018 with an order that he should pay the sum of N80 thousand as cost of litigation and that his investigation was binding. Of course, he had paid this money to OYOM under the leadership of Comrade Victor Mkpofor.
Similarly, OYOM filed a Suit No: HOR/8/2018 against Etifit Nkereuwem at Oron High Court, for continually holding himself out as president of OYOM. On February 10, 2020, the Court ruled on the matter and restrained Etifit Nkereuwem from parading himself as OYOM President; declared Comrade Victor Mkpofor as the authentic President of OYOM; ordered Etifit Nkereuwem to render accounts of all monies collected while he acted as President of OYOM and that he should pay the cost of litigation to the applicants.
Let it be known that Etifit Nkereuwem has flouted these Court judgements as he has not paid the litigation cost to OYOM. May it also be known that he has not made any attempt to render the accounts of N30million as directed by the Court. The subtle manipulation of lettered individuals into playing the card of impostors in the name of new executives is well noted in the circumstances. Obviously, this is a crafty manner in which Etifit Nkereuwem is trying to evade the Court Order which compels him to render the N30million account to OYOM.
For the avoidance of doubts, OYOM is currently led by its National Executive Council made up of:
- Comrade Victor Mkpofor, President;
- Comrade Jacob Etim Nsoh, Vice President;
- Comrade Eyo Asuquo Eyo, Secretary General;
- Comrade Peter Effiong Nyong, Assist. Secretary;
- Comrade Nicholas Etu, Financial Secretary;
- Comrade Kenneth Nso, Treasurer;
- Comrade Eteka Okon Etim, Director of Project;
- Comrade Okon Nsunwara, Director of Research;
- Comrade Emmanuel Abang, Director of Organization
- Comrade Mary Obisung, Woman Leader;
- Comrade Anietie M. Samuel, Director of Welfare
- Comrade Edet Boe Ekpo, Director of Media & Publicity;
- Comrade Emmanuel Eyo, Director of Protocol; and;
- Pastor Joseph Ekongenam, Adviser.
It is painful that Radio Nigeria Atlantic FM, Uyo, was deceived to air an erroneous report claiming the inauguration of a new OYOM exco led by Comrade Edet Effiong Eyo. Their election communiqué as endorsed by Philip Nkonginue as electoral committee chairman and Okon Bassey Ante as secretary, was equally published on page 11 of Weekend National Newsbreak of Friday, November 27, 2020 as well as various online media platforms.
According to the purported communiqué, there was a joint meeting of Oro National Forum (ONAF) and Oro Youth Movement (OYOM) on Sunday, November 22, 2020 whose resolutions purportedly mandated the election. May it be registered that the president of ONAF, Mr Ita Ante had invited OYOM to the joint meeting citing leadership crisis in OYOM as his reason. On receipt of such notice, we attended the meeting midway, and presented Court papers which bear no evidence of leadership crisis. We left immediately, afterwards.
It must be stated that we never attended such a meeting for any interventions whatsoever. ONAF is an independent body the same way that OYOM is. ONAF has never been invited to take decisions on matters affecting OYOM. Between 2014 and 2020 when Comrade Etifit Nkereuwem threw the body into disarray with his scandalous criminality, ONAF never interfered in the matter. ONAF is aware that OYOM is an autonomous association with its own constitution which regulates its activities.
The importation of none members and their manipulative emergence as ‘non-existent’ executive members is clearly a plot to destabilize OYOM. Apart from Comrade Stella Edet Nyong who was a former exco member of OYOM but later left, none of the 15 drafted excos is a member of the association.
In our press statement of October 19, 2020, we raised an alarm that Etifit Nkereuwem had set up an electoral committee led by Mr Philip Nkonginue and that they were selling election forms to people. We declared that anyone doing business with the duo of Etifit Nkereuwem and Philip Nkonginue in the name of OYOM was doing so at their own risks. We also drew the attention of the security agencies to their antics. It is now clear that they are all determined to bear the repercussions of this criminal activities.
On this note, we hereby give all the actors in this organized fraud a 7-Day ultimatum to denounce and renounce their participation, engagement and involvement in the whole process. Members of the acclaimed 15-Man excos are advised in their own interest to denounce their positions within this seven days, beginning from today, Friday, November 27, 2020.
We call on all leadership platforms in Oro Nation, ranging from the Oron Union, Council of Oro Traditional Rulers, the Oro Think Tank and others to call them to order. We reiterate that at expiration of the 7-Day window, we shall not hesitate to use all legal means to humiliate the criminal elements, fraudsters and impostors who have emerged from the blues foist themselves on OYOM.
Recall that on Saturday, November 21, 2020, OYOM had its national executive council meeting in which a five-man committee was set-up to, within two weeks, draw-up modalities for its restructuring. We hereby suspend, with immediate effect, our sincere restructuring process till further notice. We plead with all members and supporters of OYOM to remain calm and cooperate with us as we flush these perpetual lawbreakers out of the society of sane men.
Signed:
Comrade Victor Mkpofor
President, Oro Youth Movement (OYOM)
Comrade Eyo Eyo
Secretary, Oro Youth Movement (OYOM)
