Following the vacant Ezeship stool of Amainyi Autonomous Community in Ihitte Uboma Council area of Imo State, for over two years the ancient community has petitioned Governor Rochas Okorocha over an alleged attempt to impose an unpopular candidate as the traditional ruler of the people and pleaded with the Governor to prevail so as to avert injustice and possible rioting by the people.
The six pages petition dated 6th June, 2017 with caption; Re: Amainyi Autonomous Community Vacant Ezeship Stool (A Plea for a Revisit) Attempt By a Few Individuals in Our Community Acting in Collusion With the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Community Governing Council To Foist An Unpopular Candidate on The People of Amainyi Autonomous Community, addressed to the Governor and made available to some newsmen in Owerri.
The petition endorsed by Nze Ignatius Obila (Chairman, Aladimma Amainyi) and Ichie Okereke Ogbonna while commending Governor Okorocha for his administration’s foresight in creating Rescue Mission administration also drew the attention of the Governor to what they termed “The very disturbing roles being played by two highly placed officials of your (his) government namely, Mr. Sam Okoro, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Community Government, Culture and Traditional Affairs and Mr. P.N.U Onyeukwu Esq, a Director in the said Ministry in the ongoing deliberations of the Imo State Ezeship Review Committee.
The petitioners alleged that the two aforementioned officials though were not members of the State Ezeship Review Committee, but managed to smuggled themselves into the committee with the primary assignment of unduly influenced the committee to recommend one Dr. Stephen Ogwuegbu for recognition as the Traditional Ruler of the Autonomous Community against the wishes and aspiration of the overwhelming majority of Amainyi people.
According to them, “it is shocking how the permanent secretary who has in so many ways worked for the imposition of Dr. Stephen Ogwuegbu on Amainyi people became the Secretary of the Ezeship Review Committee.
They alleged that it was under the direct watch of the said Permanent Secretary and Director that the file of Pharmacist Emeka Ogbonna, as the duly elected Eze-Elect of Amainyi Autonomous Community disappeared from the Ministry custody.
They also said that “Your Excellency, Pharmacist Emeka Ogbonna, the Eze – Elect of Amainyi Autonomous Community was duly presented to Amainyi people led by Hon. Calistus Agomuo who is the President General of the Town Union and the Acting Chairman of the Community Governing Council of the Autonomous Community.
Your Excellency, on behalf of Amainyi Autonomous Community, we urge you not to accept Dr. Stephen Ogwuegbu as the Eze Elect of the Autonomous Community. This is because he was not elected by the truly constituted authority of Amainyi people but rather the candidate of a self-styled Council of Ndi-Nze” they insisted.
They hinged their objections to the purported selection of Dr. Ogwuegbu on the premises that their people had agreed on the need to review and amend their 1978 Rules and Regulation for the selection of its Eze/Traditional Ruler to be in tandem with present realities, which they did on the 3rd of February, 2017 after following due processes.
They noted it as an affront and injustice for the self-styled Council of Ndi-Nze to have purportedly selected unpopular candidate relying on the faulted and abrogated 1978 Rule and Regulation for the identification, selection, and presentation of the autonomous community traditional ruler / Eze,
That even if they concede to the usage of the same 1978 constitutional rules and regulations as it concerned the identification, selection and presentation of Eze/Traditional ruler of the Autonomous Community that they equally flagrantly abused and raped the constitution as the so-called Council of Ndi-Nze that purportedly elected him is unknown to the same 1978 Constitution as it concerns Ezeship rather Articles 5(b) and (c) of the 1978 Ezeship Constitutional assigns the responsibility of selecting a new traditional ruler to a cabinet or kingmakers consisting of 27 members each to be appointed by each of the 27 wards that then made up the Autonomous Community.
It then baffles them how could sixteen purported Kingmakers could have conducted an election that was allegedly said to have been won by Dr. Ogwuegbu.
They further vehemently argued that those alleged to have elected Dr. Ogwuegbu had no authority to do so even under their 1978 Ezeship constitution and as amended in 2017, besides that the purported king makers acted without regard to the Acting Chairman of the Community Governing Council in the Autonomous Community who is also the President-General of the Town Union.
Meanwhile, Sir, George Etche who is the Secretary to Imo State Government and the Chairman, 2017 Ezeship Review Committee has absolved his members on issue bordering on corruption and injustice especially as it concerns the Permanent Secretary and the Director, Ministry of Community Government Council and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Etche disclosed this in his office when newsmen took him up on the allegations as it concerns Amainyi Autonomous Community and her Ezeship Selection Saga.
He pointed out that his committee is still ongoing and has not presented her report but noted that a lot of justifiable technicalities was taken into account as it concerns each and every autonomous community but assured that they were committed to equity, truth and natural justice.
The Chairman further said that they are equally mindful of the tendency of some people going to court after they released their report and would not like their age long integrity and reputation to be rubbished.
Similarly, Messrs Sam Okoro and P.N.U. Onyeukwu the Permanent Secretary and Director respectively of the Ministry of Community Government Council and Chieftaincy Affairs in a telephone chat noted themselves as a career disciplined Civil Servants.
They insisted that they don’t have any special interest in any of the autonomous communities but were only interested in ensuring peace, brotherly love, and justice.
