How late ex-Ebonyi Coordinator died, by Council Chairman

Igboke, a former coordinator of Ngbo north development centre in Ohaukwu LGA slumped and died while undergoing a screening for reappointment as Coordinator.

But some of his colleagues, who were not reappointed, at the weekend accused the governor of abandoning the deceased’s family.

They claimed the late Igboke slumped and died at the screening ground after the governor told him he would not be re-appointed.

But Mr Odah in a reaction on Sunday cautioned the former coordinators to desist from conniving with the enemies of the state to drag the image of the governor to the mud.

He said the governor never abandoned the family as he appointed the wife of the late Coordinator as one of his Technical Assistants, a position she is still occupying till date.

Mr Odah, said the Coordinator did not die at the venue of the interview but hours later at a hospital where he was rushed to by the state government.

He further noted that the governor had not addressed the candidates before Mr Igboke slumped adding that he slumped while the candidates were at the verge of voting among themselves.

He said: “The late Sunday Igboke was one of the best we had, he is a very honest man, very committed and dedicated to his duty. His death was most unfortunate. We missed him. And we will continue to pray for God to grant his soul peaceful rest in His bosom.

“We were in that interview room at the ecumenical centre. It was the turn of Ngbo north to be interviewed. The basis of this interview was to make sure we had the best person for the job. There was an improvement on the process and procedure of the selection of coordinators.

“The process was still ongoing because naturally all the contestants will vote for themselves. The process was still ongoing not completed, even as a chairman the coordinator has served under me for three years and I know all of them.

“I am serving my second tenure, not that I’m perfect but my people decided to give me the second chance. In the case of the serving coordinators, we pleaded with the governor and he accepted to return all the coordinators and they were all returned. The similar thing would have happened then. I know that coordinator very well, he was very hard working.

“Two communities; Ukwagba and Ekwashi Ngbo were involved in the Ebonyi/ Benue boundary crisis. The Ngbo/Agila boundary war today to the glory of God, peace has returned in that place. We even give credits to that coordinator because he worked very hard with me, the deputy governor, governor and the national boundary commission.

“Personally, I had recommended for him to be returned like most of his colleagues, so if the process was completed, I’m sure that he would have been returned but we didn’t get there. We saw him get to the ground. But immediately, we saw the weakness in him, and slumped to the ground, so the governor suspended the interview. He himself stood up and attended to the coordinator personally.

“He (Umahi) is not a doctor but he personally attended to him, I moved and picked him (late iOgboke) up. I suggested to the governor to take him to the hospital which he immediately accepted.

“In the hospital, we brought in all the doctors, I called my own pastors to pray for him. They were giving him medical attention and prayers were ongoing and the governor was calling me every minutes to how he is. But at the end he gave up the ghost and the doctors confirmed it.

“I am sure he would have been returned because nobody could have done the work better than him, especially on security issues. There were similar cases, the governor returned some of his colleagues. Governor would have returned him likewise” he said.

Mr Odah described the former coordinators as peoole desperate for power, adding that they are nursing malice against the achievements of the governor in the state.

“The governor never took oath with them. They are just trying to drag his image to the mud,” he said.