Ogbunike Igweship Tussle: The True Position
The forum of Concerned Citizens of Ogbunike is aware of the misrepresentations, misinformation, innuendos and falsities being peddled in Ogbunike and elsewhere by some unscrupulous and desperate elements or groups on the issue of the selection of Igwe Ogbunike. Some of these deceitful and malicious representation of facts are:
(1) Igweship of Ogbunike is rotational between six villages that constitute Ogbunike community.
(2) Certain villages in Ogbunike are excluded, by the tradition of Ogbunike, from attaining the Igweship of Ogbunike
(3) Ogbunike has already decided to bestow the Igweship on some person from a particular village in Ogbunike. To say the very least, these deceptive rumours constitute a gross malicious representation of facts.
- The position that the Igweship of Ogbunike is rotational is blatant falsehood. Ndi Ogbunike decided to appoint a new Igwe Ogbunike after the demise and funeral rites of our great king HRM Igwe John Ositadimma Umenyiora using as a guidance, the 1978 Igwe Ogbunike constitution. The part 11 of this constitution, inter alia reads in section 4 and we quote “Igweship of Ogbunike shall not be hereditary and shall not rotate from village to village or from family to family but shall be by appointment or selection in accordance with this constitution” unquote. So, where lies the veracity of the submission being propagated by these uncanny agents of misinformation and deceit?. Ogbunike town has six villages namely Ukalor, Osile, Azu, Umueri, Ifite, and Amawa.
Even before the advent, in 1976, of the Igweship of our departed Igwe HRM Igwe John Ositadimma Umenyiora, several illustrious sons of Ogbunike, from different villages, presented themselves for the contest for the throne of Ogbunike.
These personalities included Chief Clement Onwudiwe from Ifite Ogbunike and Chief Gibson Onwuagbu from Azu Village Ogbunike. There were less prominent aspirants from the other villages. But, providence and the will of the generality of ndi Ogbunike conferred the Kingship of Ogbunike upon John Ositadimma Umenyiora, the rest is history.
2.There is no village, and there never has been any, amongst the six villages in Ogbunike that is barred by tradition or otherwise, from contesting the Igweship of Ogbunike. Obviously, this conjecture derives from the warped mentality and imagination of desperate elements in our community.
- As communicated in our previous treatise dated 18th September 2024, there was a resolution and declaration by a joint meeting of the traditional council of Ndichie/Ogbuefi and Ogbunike Progress Union that the selection of a new monarch for Ogbunike will be held on 31st December 2024 at Ogbunike. Therefore, anybody purported to have been chosen from any village in Ogbunike to be Igwe Ogbunike is living in a fool’s paradise. Ogbunike is a highly enlightened community. Anybody who tries to destabilise the peace in our town, through false assertions and innuendoes is an enemy of Ogbunike. We desire and demand a credible process that will enable us elect a new king in accordance with our Igweship constitution of 1978.
So far, the illustrious sons of Ogbunike, who have openly and ceremoniously declared their intention to contest for the throne of Ogbunike are Ogbuefi Dr. Chuma-Odili Harris Udokamma, Ogbuefi Elochukwu Gwacham, Ogbuefi Sir Timothy Ikechukwu Onwuka, Ogbuefi Christopher Okafor.
Finally, we urge the Anambra state Government and it’s agencies to be vigilant and quickly shun any unscrupulous person or group of pretenders who want to disrupt the peace in Ogbunike for ther own selfish benefits.
We thank the Anambra state Government and its agencies for their understanding and support.
God Bless Ogbunike
God Bless Anambra state.
Issued by:
BENJAMIN OKOYE
Amawa Ogbunike
SECRETARY GENERAL, CONCERNED CITIZENS OF OGBUNIKE
