Protesters from Umuihueze Autonomous community, Akwete Ndoki Ancient Kingdom, Ukwa East local government, Abia State, have alleged that the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs attempted to impose a traditional ruler on the community.
They also accused the commissioner, Uzor Nwachukwu, and the member representing Ukwa federal constituency at the National Assembly, Chris Nkwonta of involvement in the plot.
The protesters stated this after the ministry conducted a plebiscite for a traditional ruler for the community, which Daniel Nwuzora won at the local government headquarters in Akwete.
Speaking to the media, the community’s palace secretary, Ogbonna Chijiuche, underlined the need for the people to be allowed to choose their traditional ruler through a prescribed procedure.
Chijiuche, who explained that the community had existed for almost 500 years, added that “the well-established system of succession has never been known to be associated with tussle since then”.
He said the community’s council of chiefs had unanimously nominated and presented Augustine Ogbulu as their Eze-elect and initiated processes for the government to ratify the nomination and coronation.
“The council wrote the state government through the office of the commissioner requesting to present Onyenweala VII as our chosen traditional ruler based on the system it approved,” he said.
He wondered what must have happened after the approval had been given to make the ministry opt for a plebiscite, which he argued is alien to the community’s succession procedure.
According to him, their traditional institution, Onyenweala, has existed for more than 400 years with King Agbara Akunwata Otuji, the Onyenweala 1 of Akwete Umuihueze autonomous community.
“The Onyenweala III after Dadaa Ekeke Agbara the Onyenweala II was King Okerenta Ekeke Agbara who signed a treaty with the British in 1892, thus, bringing Akwete under British Protectorate, after Lagos in 1860.”
The secretary, who noted that the last Onyenweala VI, King (Eze) Truman Wabara Akpara, died in 1980, appealed to Governor Alex Otti to wade into the matter with the urgency it required.
Another member of the council, Onyekwere Onyema, maintained that the commissioner and the legislator were bent on trashing the institution for reasons best known to them.
Reacting to the allegations, the commissioner denied suggestions of personal or financial inducement as a motive for the petition, adding that the protest would not discredit the exercise.