A 125-year-old centenarian, Onyekwe Akwuba, the oldest man in the Nteje community, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State has called on the governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to use his good offices to intervene in his town’s kingship succession process.
Akwuba alleged that some powerful people in the town want to overturn the long-existing zoning arrangement of the kingship stool of the community.
He advised the governor and other relevant authorities to ensure that the long-existing zoning arrangement which will make it possible for only candidates from the Ifite-Nteje community to emerge to contest for the throne and produce the next monarch.
Speaking at a press conference called by the Ifite Nteje community over the weekend, the centenarian insisted that going by the zoning arrangement, it is the right of Ifite-Nteje to produce the next monarch of the town as the other two quarters, Ezi and Ikenga Nteje have produced monarchs in the past.
He made this passionate appeal at the crowded press conference, which was well attended by elders of the community, women, youths as well as all the stakeholders of the community.
He stated that the appeal was against the backdrop of an alleged move by a member from neighbouring Ikenga-Nteje village, the quarter that produced the last monarch of the town, the late Roland Odegbo, to hijack the selection process to make himself the new monarch of the community.
South-East PUNCH gathered that the Nteje community comprises over nine villages and the centenarian and other members, insisted it is the turn of Ifite-Nteje to produce the next monarch.
They said three zoning quarters, Ezi-Nteje, Ikenga, and Ifite-Nteje produce the monarch, according to their succession arrangement as it is in their town constitution and nobody should truncate it.
Akwuba said, “We appeal to Governor Soludo to disregard any move or gestures to truncate the people’s wish, doing such will cause confusion and enthrone anarchy in the entire town.
“The truth I know from my long years in this world which I understand is not by my power but the grace of God, I want Governor Soludo to listen to me as what I am telling him is the whole truth about Nteje kingship. In our town, we don’t have a problem on who is to emerge.
“We have three zoning quarters that produce monarchs in succession plans. We have Ezi-Nteje, they have taken their turn through the late HRH Samuel Nnaemeka (Abogu I). Our last monarch, HRM Roland Odegbo Abogu II who died recently came from Ikenga, so it is the turn of Ifite-Nteje now to produce the Igwe according to our succession arrangement as it is in our town constitution and nobody shall truncate it.”
Chairman and Assistant Chairman of Ifite-Nteje Elders, Mazi Ughamadu Amakom, and Uchenna Ezinwa, respectively, narrated the history of the town kingship and how the town has been going with it without hitches in the past.
They heaped blame on what they described as self-serving individuals who are enemies of the town’s progress and peaceful existence, and who are bent on truncating the zoning arrangements.
The duo said, “These disgruntled individuals will not succeed. The true position is that it is the rightful turn of Ifite-Nteje to produce the next monarch as every right-thinking indigene of the community understands it.
“The people of Ifite-Nteje have capable people to lead the town as king, more development will spring up in the town any time somebody from the village takes over as the new monarch. They are doing this through the land grabbers who have infiltrated our community and we also used this opportunity to warn land grabbers to steer clear of the village as our lands are not for sale.”
All the contestants for the monarch throne – Chief Charles Ughamadu Odili, Ichie Bar. Dave Enuagha, Clement Nwoye, and Martin Ofokansi – chorused that the kingship of the town is the exclusive right of their quarter Ifite-Nteje as specified by the existing zoning arrangement on the selection of the new monarch for the town.
They warned that nobody would deny them their right of aspiration just as they wanted troublemakers and land grabbers to desist from anything that would cause trouble in the community.
Another community member, and the Chairman of the Igwe Selection Committee, Paulinus Ikechukwu Obichukwu, appealed to Governor Soludo to hearken to the voices and feelings of the people and intervene to ensure that what belongs to the entire people are not truncated on account of a few disgruntled and self-serving individuals in the town.
Two women leaders of tbe community, Mrs Nwude Nwoye, and Mrs Nkiliuwa Justina Eboh advised the contestants and community members to tow the line of peace for the community to move forward.
