A former aide to the Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Uchechi Minnie Ogadinma, has dismissed claims that a peace agreement was reached between her and the council chairman, Eugene Ekpelle, following allegations that she was physically assaulted on the chairman’s orders.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Ogadinma confirmed that she attended a meeting convened by a coalition of civil society organisations in the state, which was also attended by the chairman.
However, she maintained that no resolution was reached, explaining that she left the meeting after the chairman declined to sign an undertaking, alongside his brother, to guarantee the safety of her and her mother.
According to her, the chairman rejected the request on the grounds that signing such a document could make him liable if any harm befell her in future.
Instead, she said he proposed to swear before a deity in the community and suggested that a town crier be engaged to announce that the matter had been resolved.
She said, “The reason I walked out is because the things I needed for us to come to a conclusion were not met.
“One of them was involving the police so that the chairman and his brother could sign an undertaking. When that condition was presented to the chairman, he said he could not sign an undertaking.
“The civil society members told him that he should sign, but he said he would not sign and that he would rather go to the village and do juju for himself. I told them that it had to be a written agreement stating that nothing should happen to my mother or me.
“He said what if something else happened and it would be on his head. I told him there was no way we could do this kind of negotiation without the police. Since he did not want to involve the police and said he would go to the village and take a town crier around the village, I said I was not okay with that.
“Everything that happened was public. You cannot come and tell me sorry and then refuse to make it known to everyone. I wanted a public apology from the chairman, the same way everything has been online. I also wanted him to commit that there would be no further harassment.
“Even as of this morning, one of the local government appointees fought my cousin. The boy saw my cousin and pushed him off a bike. I have a video of it.”
Ogadinma said she found the atmosphere of the meeting uncomfortable and temporarily left the venue, returning only after the chairman had departed.
On her return, she said members of the coalition informed her they would withdraw from the matter, accusing her of embarrassing them and frustrating their efforts to broker peace.
“I left thinking that since I was not around, they could continue the discussion and later send whatever agreement they had so I could review it.
“They started calling me, but I did not answer because I knew why they were calling. I went there alone, so there was nobody with me.
“I was already feeling overwhelmed. I told them I was not comfortable and that I was going to leave. I used the excuse that someone was calling me and left. I even left my bag there and only took my phone. My wallet was inside the bag. I left it there because the tension was high for me.
“When I noticed the chairman had gone, I went back to pick up my bag and wanted to speak with Mr. Green. He said he was embarrassed and felt it was an insult that I walked away without picking their calls.
“I tried to explain why I left, but he did not allow me to talk. He said he was not ready to hear anything from me again about the matter, so I left.”
The former aide insisted that the chairman showed no remorse during the meeting, describing his position as one of denial of the allegations against him.
She said she had presented three conditions for a peaceful resolution of the dispute: a public apology, a written undertaking lodged with the police to guarantee the safety of her and her mother, and financial compensation for expenses incurred since the incident.
Ogadinma also rejected claims by the chairman’s media team that she had already been financially compensated.
She confirmed that a payment of N2.5 million was made to her hours later after the meeting, but said it was not part of any agreed settlement and that attempts to return the money had been unsuccessful due to banking transfer limitations.
“Yesterday they posted a video saying the chairman sent me 2.5 million naira around 5:40 p.m. That was after the meeting. The chairman’s media aide also posted online that my claims were accusations and that the issue had been resolved and I had been compensated.
“What I expected was for them to release an apology first. I had not signed any document or agreed to anything. Instead, they published that I collected millions and that my claims were accusations,” she added.
The former aide further alleged that her life and that of her mother remain under threat, citing what she described as an attack on her cousin by an appointee of the chairman on Saturday. While noting that the chairman may not have been directly involved, she expressed concern over the actions of some of his supporters.
She also dismissed claims circulating in some quarters that she was acting on behalf of any political figure, insisting that her actions were not politically motivated.
She also demanded that the chairman’s brother apologise publicly for allegedly coming to her residence to harass her.
“I am also seeking financial compensation because I have been staying in a hotel since Sunday and have spent a lot of money. I left my business and my farm, so I have incurred expenses.
“Everything should also be done properly with the police involved so that tomorrow I can refer back to them if anything happens. It does not matter how much the compensation is, but everything must be done the right way and publicly so that everyone knows the resolution.
“The chairman’s brother should also come out and apologize to me for coming to my house to harass me. If that happens, then the case will be closed,” she added.
According to her, although petitions have been submitted on her behalf by the coalition of civil society groups, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, and the National Human Rights Commission, the police are yet to invite both parties for dialogue.
She said she would pursue legal action against the chairman if the matter is not addressed through the appropriate channels.
Meanwhile, the coalition of civil society organisations that attempted to mediate the dispute has suggested that there may be a political undertone to the controversy.
The Executive Director of Relief International Africa, Green Isaac, told our correspondent that Ogadinma’s conduct during the mediation process undermined efforts to achieve an amicable resolution.
Isaac said the chairman’s decision to honour the invitation demonstrated a willingness to mend fences and offer an apology.
Contrary to Ogadinma’s account, he maintained that progress had been made during the meeting.
According to him, the chairman agreed to all the proposals put forward by the mediators, including issuing a public apology, supporting initiatives by well-meaning Nigerians to rehabilitate the damaged school, providing accommodation for Ogadinma, paying financial compensation, and retaining her on the council’s payroll.
He said, “We did our best to see how we could help her get justice. As mediators and civil society actors who fight for justice for the voiceless, we came together and tried to find a solution. We brought in the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the National Human Rights Commission to hear her case.
“Despite the allegations and the videos circulating online, one thing we did not do was give the chairman the opportunity to share his side of the story. That is what I describe as the danger of a one-sided narrative. Everyone has their opinion and people will always say what they want to say.
“An intermediary later informed us that the chairman was willing to come to our office by 10 a.m. on Friday and that he was ready to yield and give the girl justice, whatever she demanded. In all the videos that were posted online, nobody actually saw the chairman physically assault her.
“She herself said the chairman did not assault her; she accused the chairman’s brother. Her claim was that the chairman went to her house with his brother, which we considered intimidation and abuse of public office.
“When the chairman came, it showed he was willing to mend fences and move away from defending himself to offering an apology. Before he arrived, we sat down with the girl and wrote down some possible resolutions.
“One of them was a public apology, which the chairman accepted. Another was the renovation of the school by individuals or organizations, provided approval was obtained from the state government.
“The school is a secondary school, which falls under the state government, not the local government. However, the chairman said he could still assist in some way.
“The third issue was compensation for her expenses, emotional trauma, and other costs she had incurred. The chairman agreed to that as well. He also agreed to rent a house for her so she could stay away from the village for a while and avoid the tension there. It was also agreed that she would remain on the chairman’s payroll as part of the resolution.
“We then left both of them alone in my office to discuss the monetary compensation. After about 15 to 20 minutes, we returned and asked what they had agreed on.
“The chairman said she was like a daughter to him, that they grew up in the same community, and that he had forgiven her and she had forgiven him. He also committed to going to the village to call the community together, including the traditional ruler, to declare that the issue had been resolved,” he revealed.
Isaac said both parties were later allowed to hold a private discussion in his office to determine the amount for compensation. He added that they eventually agreed on N2 million and also resolved to visit the community together to inform the traditional ruler and members of the community that the matter had been settled.
However, he said the process collapsed when Ogadinma received a phone call from her mother claiming she had been informed that her daughter had been killed. According to him, Ogadinma subsequently received another call and abruptly left the office without notifying the mediators.
Isaac said the incident derailed the reconciliation process and described her departure as a setback to the mediation efforts.
He said, “As we were about to finalize the resolution and sign the agreement, a call came in for her. She said VDM was around. I told her we could finish the meeting first and then she could go and see him, or he could even come to the office so we could explain the process.
“At that moment, another call came in. Unknown to us, she had already arranged for a car to wait outside the office. She pretended she wanted to take a call and then left the office.
“By leaving like that, she dismissed all the efforts we had made over several days.
“At that point, we concluded that there might be a political angle to the issue. Since she had left, we asked the chairman to sign his part of the agreement and then addressed the press to say that, as far as we were concerned, the matter had been resolved.
“We also stated that if the police or any other security agency wished to continue with the matter, they were free to do so, but our coalition was no longer interested in being involved.”
He further alleged that Ogadinma had earlier demanded N200 million as compensation and later increased the figure to N1 billion, claims she has not publicly confirmed.
Isaac also denied allegations that civil society organisations coerced Ogadinma during the mediation, stating that the groups merely facilitated dialogue between both parties.
While acknowledging that Ogadinma had requested that the chairman be compelled to sign a written undertaking, Isaac said the coalition declined the request because it lacked the authority of law enforcement agencies or the courts to enforce such a measure.
He also claimed that Ogadinma had failed to honour an invitation by the police in relation to the matter.
Isaac concluded that the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of the mediation suggested the possibility that external political interests may be influencing the dispute, adding that Ogadinma should be cautious about allowing herself to be used by others.
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