Impeach Ado Council Chairman now, Group tells Legislators, urges IGP to prosecute Oche, others

By Abdulateef Bamgbose

A group, Concerned Ado Citizens (CAC) has called for the immediate impeachment of the Chairman of Ado Local Government Council of Benue State, Mr. James Oche, over alleged gross abuse of office and electoral malpractice.

Recall that Oche, who is the Director General of the campaign organization of the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 25th February, 2023 Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency elections, was arrested by the Nigerian Military alongside some thugs, for alleged election malpractice and violence during Saturday’s polls.

Oche reportedly led an army of thugs to snatch ballot papers and destroyed election materials, including BIVAS in Apa Agila Ward, Ado LGA before luck ran out of them and they were arrested and detained by the Military.

It took the intervention of “a powerful politician from the Federal Constituency” before the Council Boss was granted administrative bail the next day, but 3 others who were in possession of firearms during the operation was still under detention.

Reacting in a statement issued by its Chairman, Dr. Peter Onazi, on Thursday, Concerned Ado Citizens described Oche’s action as “shameful” and “undemocratic”.

The statement partly reads, “James Oche has continued to drag the name of the Land of the Sage to the mud with his thuggish exuberance. We have been watching closely his tyrannical regime in Ado that has reduced our homeland into a lawless enclave.

“But his shameful conduct at the Saturday’s poll, where he led a gang of political thugs to snatch ballot boxes and set electoral materials ablaze, surely broke the camel’s back. How can a sitting Chairman who is supposed to be the Chief Security Officer of the council be the one perpetrating criminal acts?

“Enough is enough! We are calling on the Ado Legislative Council to impeach James Oche and save Adolites from the unending embarrassments the Chairman is bringing to the local government. We are giving the councilors seven days to impeach Oche or have thousands of Ado people to contend with.

“We also call on the Inspector General of Police to rearrest James Oche within 48 hours, to face justice for his crimes of human rights abuses, embezzlement, money laundry, thuggery and electoral malpractice,” it added.

The group called on the good people of Ado to go about their normal business and be law abiding, urging them to come out enmass on March 11, 2023, to vote for Governorship and House of Assembly candidates of their choice, without being intimidated.