Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Tension is building up in Oraifite town in Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Anambra State, following a court ruling on the Igweship stool of the Kingdom.
Recall that Ezumeri, one of the four villages in Oraifite town had been in an age-long legal battle to reclaim what it described as its right to produce the traditional ruler of the Kingdom after the demise of Igwe Gregory Ubaka.
The ensuing legal battle lasted for 18 (eighteen) years until July 5, 2023, when Justice Dennis Maduechesi who presided over the case with No. HN/216/2006 at the Nnewi High Court, in the state, ruled that the traditional stool be decided under the existing mutual agreement in Oraifite and the Anambra State Chieftaincy Law.
Ikengaonline learnt that the court, in the ruling had ordered Dr Dan Udoji, who was reportedly a self-acclaimed king since 2006, to stop parading himself as the traditional ruler of the community, paving the way for the people of Ezumeri to produce the next traditional ruler of the town.
Speaking to journalists, a prominent indigene of the town who simply identified himself as High Chief Stanley Chukwujekwu (Akaekpuchionwa) said Dr Udoji had not ceased parading himself as the traditional ruler of the town against the order of Nnewi High court.
He disclosed that efforts were on top gear to enthrone the rightful king of the town which according to him, will be drawn from Ezumeri community and in accordance with the provisions of Oraifite constitution.
“In 1976, a military Governor in Anambra State named John Atom Kpera introduced the need for the appointment of Igwes that will represent their town in state affairs. Before he assumed duty in the state, we used to have Obi as leaders of our four villages, like every other town in Igboland.
“In Oraifite, Obi is hereditary and in Igbo we say ‘obi adi nbugha.’ The Obi is the head of every village and after his demise, the position goes to his first son as the next Obi.
“Governor Kpera made a rule for the institution of Igwe in every town of the state to intimate the people about his affairs in the state. In the aforementioned year (1976), the good people of Oraifite had a constitution that the Igwe seat be rotational. Oraifite Improvement Union (OIU) signed this written constitution that the traditional throne be rotational among the four quarters in the town.
“The constitution of Oraifite pronounced that Igwe must be somebody that is sound and in good health. He must be educated, wealthy with connections to attract good things to his people. Any aspirant for the Igweship position must be above the age of 21 and the person must be a member of the royal family called ‘Ime Obi’, which is the lineage of Obi existing in the four quarters, respectively.
“If there is no one in that Ime Obi that is aspiring to be Igwe, anyone else from the due village who meets up the above requirements can ascend the throne.
“We have four quarters that make up Oraifite: Ezumeri, Unodu, Irefi and Ifite. Ezumeri was meant to produce the first Igwe, as the most senior of the four villages but was not ready at that time and instead passed it onto the next village, Unodu, who produce Late Gregory Ubaka.
“After Unodu which took the turn of Ezumeri by mutual agreement, the throne supposed to go back to Ezumeri and then to Irefi and Ifite, but when Igwe Ubaka passed on, Ezumeri had already named Ichie/Chief George Ngozi Chukwujekwu, (of blessed memories) as the Igwe elect from Ime Obi of the Ezumeri Quarter before Ben Aghaeze (Bentraco) from Unodu, where the late Igwe Ubaka hailed from, went and obtained certificate for Dr Dan Udoji while he (Dr. Udoji) was still away in America. That was during the reign of late Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
“Thereafter, Dan Udoji was called to return and take over as the next Igwe. He came back and from nowhere, started parading himself as the Igwe of Oraifite without official coronation as the Igwe of Oraifite.
“Ezumeri is a peaceful village and when they saw what was going on, proceeded to court and after 18 years, got the judgment in their favour to produce the next Igwe,” he narrated.
Speaking further, Chief Chukwujekwu said; “nothing is standing in the way for the Ezumeri Quarters to produce the traditional ruler of Oraifite.
He said, “There is no traditional ruler in Oraifite today except the one that is still parading himself as the monarch. We are not calling for his removal as the court by its judgment has already removed him.
“It is now left for the Ezumeri people to do the needful in due course because court has empowered us to produce the rightful Igwe from our own quarter.
“Ezumeri people are 100 percent ready. We will do the right thing that the court expects us to do as soon as possible, and present to the OIU who will now recommend what we have done to the government.”
