No gunmen, thugs invaded Tuomo community, we resisted oppression — Tuomo women

Women and youths of Tuomo Community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State have reacted to trending reports in the media that gunmen and thugs invaded and disrupted the community CDC chairmanship election, saying that the reports were far from the truth.

The women reacted when Vanguard went on a fact-finding visit to the community, Wednesday, noting that as a community, they decided to take their destiny into their hands.

The women and youths led by the chair lady of Foukonou quarters of the community, Mrs Egentu-ere Emotonghan, said: “what really happened was that the said Tuomo leader wanted to remove our elected chairman to impose his stooge to rule us and we disagreed.

“The office of the Tuomo Community chairman is rotated among the three quarters of the community, namely Ekerenbiri, Akerebunu and Foukonou quarters according to the community constitution.

“Last year, Ekerenbiri quarters, where the said leader hails from, produced the chairman and he handpicked the person and nobody opposed him from other quarters because it was their turn.

It rotated to Akerebunu quarters this year and the people of the community voted massively for Mr Binebai Tomke, who won the election against two others from the same quarters that contested with him.

 

“Since after that election in February till now, the said leader has been trying to remove our chairman from office, whose tenure is to elapse December this year.

“Tuesday, he came in a convoy of seventeen vehicles loaded with mobile policemen, Delta state vigilante, and youths from neighbouring communities well-armed and said he wanted to conduct an election.

“He came with a document which he claimed was a court judgement that has annulled the election of Mr Binebai and the women and youths of the community stood against him.

“His security men started shooting sporadically to scare us but we were undeterred and told him that the destiny of Tuomo community is no longer in his hands.

“We went into the venue of the kangaroo election, protested, and stopped the process, and when he saw our unanimous resolve, he fled and jumped over the Esuku Primary School fence being helped by some of his boys.

“We did not carry any weapon as alleged in the reports on social media and some mainstream media, and nobody kidnapped him. We only resisted oppression from a single man.”