By Ovat Abeng
Crisis is gradually brewing in Ihite Community of Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, following a disagreement over selection of a traditional ruler.
Already, some members of the community led by the community’s traditional council have disowned a new king, Mr Timothy Ifurunwa, who was last weekend elected by a section of the community, under the prompting of the President General, Mr George Madu.
The community is currently polarized into factions, with many members of the community rejecting the process that led to the selection of Ifurunwa as king.
The community’s traditional council has petitioned Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to intervene to avert crisis in the community and to also disregard the process that led to the selection of Ifurunwa.
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In the petition signed by their lawyer, Barr N.I Onyeakpa, Chiefs Ahamkonye, Daniel Ifemkpa, Anudu Ephraim and Geoffrey Okeke, all members of the traditional council accused the president general of the community, George Madu of jettisoning the constitution of the community in the selection, just to favour his candidate.
Onyeakpa in the petition told Soludo that: “Ihite town in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State lost their Traditional Ruler Igwe, B.O. Ofu in 2020.
“Under Ihite native law and custom, after two (2) years of transition to glory by the Royal father, there shall be a joint meeting of the Ihite traditional council and the town union wherein the two important bodies in the town will discuss on how a new king or traditional ruler of the town should be elected.”
Onyeakpa said the president general, Madu did not following the guidelines of the constitution in the process. He urged Soludo not to issue a certificate of recognition to the newly elected monarch, Ifurunwa.
He said it was a surprise to the community that Madu could continue with a selection process, even when his authority to singlehandedly select a monarch and sidelining the traditional council of the community was still being determined by the court.
He said: “Our clients filed Suits in both customary court and Magistrate court challenging the purported dissolution of Ihite traditional council by the President General, and illegal process of selection, nomination and screening of a would be traditional ruler of Ihite without reference to the traditional council of Ihite.”
Two members of the traditional council who spoke with journalists; Chief Geoffrey Okeke and Onowu Dominic Ahamkonye called on Prof Soludo to a null the process, and not to be deceived into issuing certificate of return to the new monarch.
Meanwhile, in his reaction, the president general of the community, Mr George Madu who spoke to journalists insisted that the process was right. He said there were only few disgruntled people in the community who were unhappy, insisting that the process was transparent.
