Rejoinder Imo Women Protest Imposition in Lagos Association

Rejoinder;

Imo Women Protest Imposition in Lagos Association

A dangerous and evil plot against a dedicated and distinguished officer.

“When an evil and rotten hand holds the pen, the brain becomes amused by what it reads, a good man is nothing else but good and will always be good. While honesty can never be likened with dubiousness.

It has come to the notice of the office of Public Relations Officer of Imo State Development Association Lagos (ISTDAL), of the moves of some opposition elements and filth columnist hiding under willing hands in ISTDAL to undermine a well conducted transparent, free and fair and credible elections to maliciously assassinate a man of immeasurably character, these paid element has proven beyond any doubts their intentions against the State Government.

It is with the most avoidable sense of disappointment and of abuse of privilege that we describe this disgraceful propaganda against the person of Imo Liaison Officer Lagos Dr Patrick Chidi Uzoma, by disgruntled and shameless agents of opposition elements.

In the first place, the faceless writers or publishers of this malicious propaganda namely (WEEKEND ANNOUNCER; THE WATCHDOG and the FRONTLINE EXPRESS; among others) did not provide on whose authority they wrote or published for, or who their agents are, other than to publish same materials of malicious propaganda, word by words, sentence by sentence and paragraphs by paragraphs, as though the same reporter covers for all the same media houses.

My office as the Public Relations Officer of ISTDAL, and the head of Information Desk for the association is not aware of any write up, or authorised any.

In the journalistic spirit of *”no story is well told until you hear from the other side”* was very much betrayed in the altar of this hired journalist, who in his kindergarten learning of journalism wrote this unprofessional and malicious propaganda.

The best any trained or professional journalist could do was to call or seek a balance account of reportage, even if it happened before your presence.

One thing these faceless author and his agents intended to achieve was to drag an innocent man to his or her disastrous failures and electoral predicament.

Bringing the name of an innocent man to his disastrous failure was indeed malicious and an act for legal redress.
That a madie house of such standard dances such a disgraceful propaganda and published such an article is to say they lack professional staff, and are open to anything called story and not minding who told it. This is to say, but a belittling to professionalism and called for questioning.

The Imo State Towns Development Association Lagos ISTDAL is not a marketplace, and no one should use it to upstage the truth and force out negative narratives just because you have access to open press.

My office as the Public Relations Officer and head of ISTDAL Information Desk hereby refute this malicious propaganda and call for the arrest of the faceless reporter and his agents, and also legal actions against the madie house for unprofessional and questionable publications.

For avoidance of doubt, the elections of the ISTDAL Women wing was done in accordance with the resolution reached at the critical major stakeholders meeting comprising the members of ISTDAL BOTs; the past Presidents (emeritus) of ISTDAL men and women wings; the 3 Presidents of our 3 zonal meetings of men and women (Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe); the 2 factional women groups; the contending parties in court; and other critical Stakeholders.

Some time in 2022 (September to be precise) the ISTDAL Men’s wing had an election which some parties felt disenfranchised and went to court, ever since 2022 till June 2025 ISTDAL had no functional Executive as the federal court Ikoyi restrained us from functioning, our meetings stopped and we were in comatose.

The Imo State Government through the Imo liaison officer *Dr Patrick Chidi Uzoma* had sleepless nights over ISTDAL years of lingering legal issues, and as a representative of the Governor and father of all intervened, (we personally beckoned on him) and a major Stakeholder’s meeting was held on the 5th and continued to 8th of May 2025 to resolve and broker peace among the fighting warriors for over 3 years.

Within this said period of court issues which has already occasioned executive lacuna on the men’s wing, the tenure of the women wing executive also expired or elapsed creating another lacuna of leadership on that of the women’s wing.

It was the intervention of the Lagos liaison officer that saw a peaceful resolution and an out of court settlement (the peace we have today is by his intervention). Far reaching resolutions were reached for the unity and progress of ISTDAL, and today, we are enjoying the dividends.

On the issues of the elections for both the men and women’s wing wings, bearing in mind there was no valid sitting Executives Committee on both wings.
The Stakeholders at the meeting resolved that to create an unbiased electoral body, comprising any available members of the BOTs to join; The past ISTDAL Presidents (emeritus) of men and women; The Presidents of the 3 senatorial zones of (Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe) men and women; The men counterparts on the above should conduct the men’s election coming forth next year, while the women counterparts on the list above will conduct that of the women, it was generally and unanimously, and collectively agreed.

This resolution was collectively and unanimously agreed for these elections only, (call it doctrine of necessity or any of such) considering the present predicament we found ourselves, we agreed that our sections that deal with attendance as qualifications should not apply considering none availability of valid records of meetings attendance, and that formation of the electoral committee should be composed as stated above for fairness, justice and transparency, (bearing in mind the case was still in court waiting for out of court settlement)

Worthy of note, the LO even persuaded that the elections be held next year along with that of men’s wing in order to build or create a valid meetings attendance, and also allow the women time to heal their wounds and close their differences rising from their adversaries to each other, but the women and others demanded it should be held this year (one year gap).

There was no input of the Liaison Officer although out the meetings, he only sat and over saw the resolutions reached by us, he asked questions and made us sign the document of settlement, (he only broke a peaceful intervention for amicable resolution and out of court settlement over our lingering legal issues), he sat with his staff collecting suggestions and inputs from all of us and only concurred to our collective decisions.
The video clips of our meetings are available to substantiate facts.

Every decision made at the stakeholders’ meeting was collectively and unanimously agreed upon. The Imo State liaison office or officer did not force any decision/s on the association, let alone implementing moulds.

Even to ensure transparency (which was dearly very scarce commodity) within us, the Stakeholders agreed that a dedicated bank account be provided and all registered Communities should pay in their dues to ensure accountability, (No Community was disenfranchised, the resolution was that *”ALL OLD REGISTERED COMMUNITIES”* before the court case in 2022 should be allowed to vote or be voted for, while intending new ones (viewed as coming only for election) should have to wait and not participate, (this also was to prevent none members participation).

The question here is, Was there any Community in the list of voters that was or is not an ISTDAL Community member? No. Were there Communities that participated that didn’t pay the prescribed money? No. Was it the Communities that sent or submitted the names to their representatives to the electoral committee? Yes. Did the Electoral Committee go outside what was proffered at the joint stakeholders meeting to ensure peace? No. What other role did the LO plaid aside the peaceful resolution and an out of court settlement.? Ensure that ISTDAL withdrew the court case and moved on.

I, as the PRO of the association personally witnessed the election and the proceedings. And I have also seen the list of the Communities and the conduct of the election itself. I stand bold and tall to say that it was most transparent, most credible, and above all free and fair. Losers will and as always cry woof where there is none, and like the saying goes, every failure must have a cause.

That an Electoral Committee made up of our eminent bodies like the BOT; the 3 (living) past Women Presidents (emeritus) and the 3 zonal Presidents of Owerri Orlu and Okigwe cannot be said to be manipulated, if the above mentioned personalities cannot conduct free and fair, transparent and credible elections, than who will?.

From the above composition alone, one will understand the seriousness attached to the elections, (truly the old order or ways of doing man know man changed),I hope your guess is as good as mine on alleged losses.

It is understandable, in elections no loser is happy, one thing must suffer as the cause of the loss, but to imply it on a very distinguished personality such as the LO, is a joke taken too far, and a call for a drastic and decisive action.

The election was conducted on a Sunday and whether the LO or his administrative staff was involved in the elections, the said LO was far away out of Lagos State.

This clarification became necessary, viewing the point and the personality it was targeted at. It was the wrong person to cry for electoral failures.

The madie house and the irresponsible journalist that reported this malicious propaganda should face their music alonsJMKK MY
I won’t say more for l, but hopefully on the wing of redress.

*Hon Chima Davis Ukwandu* Ugoabata N’Obi
PRO and Head Information Desk ISTDAL.