An election organized by the
Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, ended in a fiasco on Thursday.
It was gathered that the
election, which started in a tense atmosphere, snowballed into medical doctors
engaging in a free-for-all.
The botched exercise, which was
held at Michael Okpara Square, was meant to elect new executive members of the
NMA in the State.
However, as soon as the exercise commenced, warring groups within the Association descended on each other, leading to serious violence.
Policemen providing security
during the election had a hectic time trying to restore normalcy as the doctors
and their supporters launched violent attacks on their members.
Several doctors were wounded in
the process.
Trouble started in the
Association a few days ago when the State Chairman, Dr. Ike Okwesili was
suspended over some allegations.
Dr. Onyekachi Ugwuonye of the
Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu was appointed as NMA’s Acting Chairman.
In a statement, they had accused
Okwesili of unjust withdrawal of the rights and privileges of some members of
the association.
He was also accused of suspending
other doctors based on misinformation, and was planning to barricade Resident
Doctors of Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, ARD ESUT-TH Parklane, from
participating fully in the state NMA activities.
”The Chairman, Dr. Ike Okwesili,
stands suspended and has been referred to the Ethics and Disciplinary
Committee, on account of gross abuse of office by abruptly truncating an
ongoing SEC meeting where weighty issues of withdrawal of rights, privileges,
and suspension of members were to be discussed, a development that can throw
the association into chaos,” the statement read in part.
But the embattled State Chairman,
Dr. Okwesili, in his defence, described his suspension as a ruse, alleging that
Ugwuonye and co were endangered members of the association under investigation
and were working to truncate the NMA State election.
VIDEO: Ballot boxes destroyed as NMA election in #Enugu turns violent pic.twitter.com/U6O6LYdCTc
— TheCable (@thecableng) August 7, 2020
The result of mixing cultism and academics by many students in Nigeria.
ReplyDeleteNo matter the situation leopards must show their true colours once in a while.