By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Serious crisis is brewing at Isiagu Akpawfu autonomous community in Nkanu East Council Area (LGA) of Enugu State over alleged moves by some people to impose a traditional ruler on the community without election in contravention of its constitution.
Investigation revealed that the Igweship tussle is currently pending before the Court of Appeal, but one Prince Tony Okoye has already been given Certificate of Recognition and Return –a development that did not go down well with majority of the people of the locality.
Speaking with newsmen on the development on Friday in Enugu, one of the contestants to the Igweship stool, Chief James Ede Ogbu said he was disqualified on the grounds that he was not a native of the autonomous community –an allegation he described as funny and laughable.
He said: “I’m from Umu-Ogaa kindred, in Obodo Onovo Nwowo village and it is gazetted. Telling me that I’m not from the autonomous community made me to ask why this should be so.”
According to him, the purported omission of his family name in the community list was deliberate and a conspiracy aimed at stopping him from participating in the Igweship election.
Ogbu further stressed that the only way an Igwe can emerge according to the community’s constitution was through election and not imposition, insisting that there was no election that led to the emergence of Prince Okoye.
He noted that three contestants had earlier been screened and cleared by the electoral committee but he expressed surprise that Okoye went to obtain an injunction that stopped the process.
Ogbu stated that he appealed the judgment swiftly to correct the impression that he was not a citizen of the community.
He averred that he was surprised that while the case was still pending in court, the State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Matters and Rural Development, Chief Okey Ogbodo, recognized Okoye as the traditional ruler of the community on April 26, 2025 without conducting an election.
He therefore, appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to wade into the matter because he felt cheated and oppressed.
Corroborating Ogbu, the Assistant Secretary of the town union of the autonomous community, Mr. Ibezimako Ede Stephen, said the purported claim that Ogbu is not from the community is a lie from the pit of hell and appealed to the governor to come to their rescue in this matter.
“I’m saying this because conscience is an open wound that only truth can heal. We do not want the government to recognize anybody as Igwe for now; we have not gotten any Igwe. We want to choose our Igwe through an election” he stated.
Efforts by our correspondent to speak with the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters were not successful as his mobile phone line could not go through as at the time of filing this report.
