Imo State’s HOS Disrupts South East Cricket Tournament

The group match of the 8th edition of Chuma Anosike South-East Cricket Championship between Team Imo and Team Ebonyi was halted by the former Imo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports and presently Head of Service Imo State Civil Service Commission, Tony Ajaelu due to disqualification of Team Imo.

Imo State, the host of the 8th of the Chuma Anosike South-East Cricket Championship, was disqualified based on University of Nigeria Cricket team protest raised against Team Imo who fielded ineligible players in the tournament.

The tournament went on for two days from 5-6 March in Owerri, however, the game came to stalemate on the 3rd day when UNN Team insisted they got answer to their petition. After series of meetings and investigations, the Local Organizing Committee, (LOC) disciplinary committee, indicted Team Imo and banned them from further participation in the event.

The LOC’s decision did not go down well with the former Commissioner for Youth and Sports of Imo state Ajaelu who promised to disrupt the tournament if the decision was not in Imo State’s favour because they are the host of 2018 edition 0f Chuma Anosike South-East Cricket Tournament.

Ajaelu, who is also the Chairman of the Imo State Cricket Association stated categorically that no match would go on in the Imo state cricket pitches unless Imo State as a host get the final decision in its favour. He went further to allegedly threaten the LOC that he would arrest everyone with the police or unleash thugs on everybody.

”Based on my status as former Commissioner of Youth and Sports and Head of Services in Imo State, if the decision of the disciplinary Committee is not inTeam Imo’s favour, no match will take place in any Imo state cricket pitch, I am saying this as the current Head of Imo State Civil Service Commission.

“I will show you that you are in my state, I will use police to arrest everybody or unleash my boys on you and flog hell out of your. I have made my decision that no match would be played here if the disciplinary committee refuses to rescind it decision on Team Imo, ” he said.

One of the female Cricketers, Jessica Ndigwe of Saint John Of God Secondary school, Akwa, described Mr Ajaelu’s action as uncalled for, as an ex cricketer and Chairman of Imo State Cricket Association, adding that he ought to have shown a good example while trying to resolve the issues of the protest.

“I was afraid when Mr Ajaelu was threatening that he will arrest everybody and he might as well send his boys to beat us up.

“This is discouraging, this is not what we came here for, the maiden edition of Chuma Anosike female fashion was almost cut short but thank God for the LOC’s other alternative of moving us to Ebonyi state to complete the tournament,” said Ndigwe.

Meanwhile the captain of University of Nigeria, UNN, cricket Team Chukwuka Jerome Ogbue said the action of Mr Ajaelu was not in the spirit of cricket, adding that a cricketer should not behave in such a way. Team Imo defaulted as the host team, they should accept the disciplinary committee’s decision in good fate than to act in a wrong way.

“Mr Ajaelu’ s attitude was uncricket, they defaulted instead of them to accept the penalty in good fate, but Ajaelu and his people stopped the match which is quite unfortunate. I must tell you, the players are not reacting but everything that happened was the fault of Mr Ajaelu. This is a dirty action to disrupt the championship because he wants to cheat and manipulate, ” said Ogbue .

The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the tournament, Emeka Igwilo and other contingents moved at 6pm on Saturday to Government Secondary School Afikpo, Ebonyi State for the third place match and the final.