IDU women’s wing removes Usikpedo over alleged misappropriation of fund

The Isoko Development Union, IDU umbrella body and mouth piece of the Isoko ethnic nationality has dissolved the executive committee of the women’s wing led by Amb. Caroline Usikpedo over misappropriation of funds, lack of respect for elders, tenure elongation, insubordination and inept leadership in accordance to the guidelines of the mother union guiding the women’s wing.

A new executive headed by Chief (Mrs.) Felicia Suleiman has been elected and inaugurated to pilot the affair of the union.

While reacting to the removal of the Usikpedo led executive, the President- General of the mother union, High Chief Iduh Amadhe through a press statement made available to journalists, justified her removal on inept leadership and lack of respect to a constituted authority and ensuring that she did not plunge the union into crisis.

The statement disclosed that Amb. Usikpedo took the married women on October 28, 2016 to hold a meeting in a hotel to secretly extend her tenure, instead of holding such meetings in a Community Town Hall or at the IDU Secretariat on the first week of December 2016 as a normal practice acceptable to all, she did otherwise. This action negates the beliefs and customs of the Isoko land.

Chief Amadhe noted that, the IDU executive and its patrons query her for holding such questionable meeting without following due process and she admitted her fault and pleaded for extension to enable her pay N1.3million debt she incurred in the ill-fated hotel conference.

November 2017 was agreed as her executive terminal date and before that date some members of her executive had left and she recruited new ones without consulting the Mother Union.

The statement further narrated that, when she was invited by the Mother Union to give her stewardship in view of the volumes of petitions against her by the majority of the women, including branches, she became deceptive and refused to honour the invite and in order to evade the wrath of the Mother Union, she wrote a petition against the Mother Union to the Police Area Command, Ozoro, DSS and Delta State CP to call IDU to stop whatever meeting they intend to hold.

The statement further disclosed that Amb. Usikpedo prepares bye-laws for the women instead of waiting for the Mother Union to present such guidelines to them as enshrined on page 33-34 of the IDU constitution, noting that it is the constitution of the Mother Union IDU that puts the women wing in place, stressing that the former administration of Gen. Paul Omu (Rtd.) that constituted Usikpedo’s executive and not herself.

It is crystal clear and understood by all Isoko people that IDU is not a political organization and its activities must be cultural but, Amb. Caroline Usikpedo politicized the union because any issue of disagreement in the union is quickly reported to politicians and because of her rudeness, lack of respect to a constituted authority and insubordination, without consulting the Mother Union, she held a conference/award ceremony on June 2^nd and 4^th 2017.

High Chief Iduh Amadhe, in the press statement, noted that the Secretary, Mrs. Obuke C.A and the P.R.O Mrs. Anyisire sent a petition duly signed by them to the Mother Union on August 17, 2017 accusing Amb. Usikpedo of inhuman behavior and diversion of the union funds to her personal use without following due process.

According to them, Usikpedo openly and confidently told them that the IDU women’s wing bus donated by DESOPADEC is her personal property given to her by the governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to compensate her for her contributions during the governorship election which Okowa won, hence she registered the union’s bus with her name.

They also accused her of diverting the union’s funds to her personal account, stressing that all the money paid by the recipients of the last conference/award ceremony were paid into her personal account, noting that one of the awardees paid the sum of N70, 000 into her account which she confessed to have used to settle her medical bill without informing the union.

They also reiterated that for 2 years she used the IDU bus for commercial activities, she never remitted any kobo to the union’s accounts and she never gave a comprehensive and detailed financial report to the house throughout her tenure.

In order to correct the anomalies of the Usikpedo era, the women’s wing had procedurally elected a new executive to pilot the affairs of the union at Isoko Unity House, Oleh as vote of no confidence was unanimously passed on Amb. Caroline Usikpedo’s led executive.

At the Unity House, the women representative during the meeting expressed total displeasure at the conduct of the former President, maintaining that Usikpedo two (2) years has expired since December 2016, stressing that her nonchalant attitude to corrections, lack of respect to constituted authority and misappropriation of funds and other reasons led to her removal and electing a new executive headed by Chief (Mrs) Felicia Suleiman.

Isoko Mirror findings also revealed that Amb. Usikpedo never carried along the branches, because some of the branches leaders who spoke to Isoko Mirror in anonymity noted that Usikpedo ran the women’s wing executive as one man show without considering the inputs of others, stressing that she came in through a kangaroo election in 2016 without the branches knowing.

Meanwhile, the President-General of the Mother Union, High Chief Iduh Amadhe has directed all clans and branches should accord the newly elected executive led by Chief (Mrs.) Felicia Suleiman recognition and necessary support, stating that henceforth no clan, branches, corporate bodies, organization and government agencies should deal with Amb. Caroline Usikpedo as IDU women’s wing President.

Elected alongside Chief (Mrs.) Felicia Suleiman were: Hon. Beatrice Igogo-Oyibotha- 1^st Vice President, Mrs. Dan Odhomo Jane J.- 2^nd Vice President, Mrs. Paulina Ashoma- Secretary General, Princess Mary Uyo- Asst. Sec. Gen, Chief (Mrs.) Stella Eyeh- Treasurer, Mrs. Oke Orakpo- Financial Secretary, Mrs. Esiolee Elizabeth – Asst. Fin. Sec., Mrs. Kesena Edna – P.R.O, Mrs. Odje Oghenekome- Asst. P.R.O, Mrs. Ovetiri Patricia-Social Secretary, Mrs. Efenedo Elo-Oghene – Asst. Social Sec., Barr. (Mrs) Mary Erijo- Legal Adviser, Mrs. Okpowo Bernice- Ex-Official, Chief Mrs. Maria Ubara- Ex-Official, Mrs. Rebecca Akpuze- Ex-Official, Mrs. Grace Etobro- Ex-Official, Mrs. Justina Onaibre- Ex-Official, Mrs. Anyisire Sylvia - Ex-Official, Mrs. Akwevagbe Edna – Provost, Mrs. Akposheri Mercy- Provost, Mrs. Otorofari Afor- Provost, Mrs. Ubiedhe Bernice- Provost, Mrs Onogomuho Elo- Provost, Mrs. Ogbo Florence – Rep (Onogbokor), Princess Efemena Okurakpo- Rep (Okugbe Isoko).

The Advisory Council are: Chief (Mrs.) Ella Okunu- Chairman, Chief (Barr.) Evelyn Aluta – Vice Chairman, Rev. (Mrs.) Obuke C.A. – Secretary, Barr. (Mrs.) Mary Erijo – Legal Adviser, Lady (Mrs.) Marry Ideji- Member, Mrs. Ideghe Maria – Member.

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