The fragile peace in Umueri town of Anambra East Local of Anambra State is been threatened as the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano posed to foist an unpopular candidate, Sir Ben Emeka who incidentally is a Contractor with the state Government.
It would be recalled that the State Chief Executive Chief Willie Obiano hails from Umueri closest Neighbor, Aguleri- a community she had a bitter communal war in which lives and properties worth Billion Naira were wasted. Even though the communal clash had come and gone, the two communities seem to have not forgiven each other.
Our reporters who carried a detailed investigation confirmed that Obiano stooge, Chief Sir Ben Emeka, the CEO of New Ideal Construction Company was purportedly drafted into the race of becoming Igwe Umueri, as a result of the vacuum created by the demise of the town's traditional ruler, HRH Nelson Okoye who died in 1995. According to our source, a retired Civil Servant who pleaded anonymity: " Aguleri & Obiano wanted a King in Umueri that they can can relate well with. So, I was amongst those he used to plead to Sir Ben to take the mantle." He said with assurance
"I dont think the news that he was doing it for bad thing is good. The Governor meant well. You know the enmity between the two towns deserves that we have an Igwe that would relate well with all our Neigbors, more especially Aguleri"
However, this reasons has not gone well with the majority of Umueri who sees Aguleri as arch rival and the reasons for slow pace of development in the community. Most of them, particularly the youths have taken the struggle to resist this imposition to social media, using whatever space available to criticize the plot, which they termed as 'modern day slavery" and a"Obiano annexation plot to take over their lands"
Our Reporters also confirmed that the quest to crown Sir Ben at all cost was also in variance with the constitutional stipulations on rotational Igwe as enshrined in the amended town union constitution. Mr. Ekweli Okafor who spoke with our correspondent at Otuocha explained that the constitution stated that power shall rotates from the Ezi- the head village of Umueri down to the other two clans of Ikenga and Ivite in that order. But the Obiano appointed caretaker committee failed to removed that portion before handing over to an elected Executives. Now the Elected Executives having been mandated to crown Obiano's anointed candidate went to work by selling forms to all on sundry- this is against the spirit of the constitution that emphasis on rotation. " How can one claim rotational Igweship and at the same time sale forms to Johnie Metchie from Ezi & Sir Ben Emeka from Ivite?. Does that emphasis rotational'?
There was also accusation that the late Igwe Okoye's family was sidelined in their father's last Ovalla. We put a call to one of the executive of the town union for clarification, but he told us that a representative of Igwe Family was part of the committee that recommended 19 -25 February for the burial/last Ovalla of the late Igwe. He also explained further that too much interference from Awka that the Ovalla should be held during the Obiano's first tenure made the Okoye's family to suspect foul play and insisted that the festival be held on their late father's traditional ovalla day, which is 23-24 December. "This actually did not go down well with faction of the community led by Sir Ben" According to him, following the crisis that erupted in the Dec 27, 2016, the meeting resolved to hold the ovalla on February
On Thursday 19th January a group of the youth stakeholders under the auspices of "Concerned Umueri Youths" met and gave a resolution mandating the President of the town Union, Hon Pius Okonkwo to resign for his failure to coordinate the town leadership and also his militarized style of leadership by using thugs and security during meeting. In Similar development, a Novelist and social critic from the town, Ms Euphemia Udeano has taken to social media through her facebook page protesting the bad conducts of the town union executives. She also queried the rational behind burying someone's father without the consent of the person? She described it as taboo and thereafter call on Anambra State Government, traditional rulers to intervene to stop the sacrilege.
To Read Ms. Euphemia Udeano facebook post on this crisis click HERE
Similar protests are all over in the new media from sons and daughters of Umueri both at home and abroad. From Malaysia, Comrade Biafra Diboh, the Vice President of Nigeria in Diaspora Organization & President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Malaysia capture the moods of the village in a post, he displayed in the facebook wall of Greater Umueri liberation forum (GULF), which he entitled "The Regime of Impunity is here". In the post, Comrade Diboh the leader of Diaspora Ohaneze Ndigbo highlighted reasons why the town are agitating against the Pius Okonkwo led town Union. The reasons according to him ranges from his plans to impose Igwe, unpopular constitution, burying late Igwe without family consent, usurping the power of Umueri traditional council, use of security and thugs to harrass anyone with contrary opinion etc
Our attempts to extract vital information from renown citizens of the town proved abortive as they declined saying its family issues that would be sorted out soon. Critics of the town Union Executives are worried that the President of the town union has ruled out dialogue but insist of going ahead to bury peoples father without the consent of the family, so as to install the anointed candidate. This they assures our reporters that they will do everything humanly possible to forestall. " We wont allow that to happen" He said with smiling face. " How can UGA bury Igwe without the family consent, simply because they are in haste to crown our Neighbors' candidate? Impossible" He continue to laugh. "Umueri has never be under Aguleri and wont fall under them this time around. The tree, even the grass in Umueri will fights, i assure you"
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