*Lambast Orugbo for using her name without consent
By Ogbagah Matthias
UDU – The Secretary of the Udu Traditional Council of Chiefs, Chief Elizabeth Odjugo has refuted signing any notice or issuing orders for a meeting of the Council of Chiefs scheduled to take place today at the Ovie palace.
Speaking to journalists, Odjugo expressed her frustration over the misuse of her name in summoning the meeting, emphasizing that such actions were taken without her consent.
She was notably incredulous over these developments, stating that she had not only been uninvolved in organizing the gathering but also had no knowledge of any such assembly being planned.
Odjugo explained her long-standing connection to the Udu Traditional Council, having been appointed in 2009. “I have served on the council since then, even before the current leadership came into place,” she stated.
Reflecting on her journey, she recounted how she initially served as the assistant secretary under the late Honorable Justice T.K. Dubo, who required considerable support in managing the council due to his advanced age. Upon his passing, she was appointed as the secretary of the Traditional Council, with Barrister Elizabeth Okene assigned to assist her.
Despite her commitment, Odjugo noted that she faced numerous challenges in effectively running the council’s Secretariat, stating, “Unknown to the king, I wasn’t empowered to run the Secretariat. When I protested, nobody addressed my concerns.” As a result, she and her assistant had to personally finance the council’s operations, striving to fulfill their responsibilities amid growing difficulties.
The situation grew more complex following the king’s illness, which left the council in a state of uncertainty. Odjugo recalled a time when she learned that some members had been removed without explanation while the king was still undergoing treatment in the hospital. “I had a letter from the Deputy Governor indicating that no one in the Udu Traditional Council should be removed, yet I found myself excluded from a newly constituted group,” she said.
Overwhelmed by pressure to take legal action to retain her seat, Odjugo noted that she opted to step back from the position of secretary, feeling it was time to move on with her life. “I told my colleagues that I was moving on,” she stated, indicating that she had made peace with her decision to relinquish her formal role.
However, news of today’s meeting took her by surprise. A caller informed her that a meeting was being convened at the palace, where her name had been listed as secretary, leading to her assertion that “the new secretary is Chief Kpoma.”
“It was Chief Andrew Orugbo who told me that he was the one who used my name to send the notice of the meeting, and I frowned at it seriously.
“So for the benefit of the public, I want to clarify that I never summoned any meeting of the Council of Chiefs to be held in the palace today, 21st April, 2025,” Odjugo emphasized.
She further stated that if the regent had not authorized a meeting, she would refuse to be associated with it. “I will not allow my name to be used without clarity and consent,” she affirmed.
