Ondo South, Ovia youths reject commissioners, allege bias

The Ondo South Mandate Group (OSMG) has rejected the nomination of Gbenga Edema as a commissioner representing Ondo State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), alleging prejudice.

The group, comprising All Progressives Congress (APC) members, oil-producing communities and leaders of Ondo South Senatorial District, said Edema’s nomination was fraught with irregularities.

In a statement issued by Chairman and Secretary of OSMG, Benson Odoro and Ayesa Adebambo, the group argued that since Edema was Chairman of Ondo State Oil Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC), another person should have been nominated as NDDC’s commissioner.

The group said Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s nomination of Edema as OSOPADEC boss was illegal because he was not from the core oil-producing community in Ilaje Council Area of the state.

Also, aggrieved youths of Ovia-North East Council Area of Edo State yesterday staged a peaceful protest against the exclusion of the constituency in the appointment of members of the NDDC board by the Federal Government.

The group, which rejected the appointment of Edo State representative on the NDDC board, Victor Ekhator, decried the neglect of their constituency in the state oil-producing communities.

Spokesman of the group, Imafidon Imadeyogie, said besides having the largest voting population, Ovia North East voted massively for the APC in the state.

Imadeyogie accused the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole of masterminding the process that robbed the constituency of the state’s NDDC representative appointment.