Anambra Igweship election: Oppositions Want To Hinder Community’s Progress Says market chairman

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

The five out of 18 members of the Igwe’s cabinet members in Ihite Community, Orumba South Local Government Area who are against this concluded igweship election that brought an industrial magnate, Chief Timothy Ifurunwa as the new igwe elect are enemies of the community who want to hinder the progress of the community.

The market chairman of Old Motor Spare Parts Mgbuka Obosi, Mr Samuel Ifurunwa made this disclosure while reacting to the claim by the handful of opposition that due process was not followed in the conduct of the election that produced Timothy as the Igwe-elect.

To buttress his point that due process was followed, the market chairman who is also a sibling to the new monarch, Chief Samuel Ifurunwa, disclosed that the community President General, PG, Mr George Madu, ensured the process was option A4 system.

“He did not hide anything. If Ihite’s population is 1000 people, about 900 voted for the new king. It was the turn of Umuezeawuru village to produce the next king and the PG told us to present candidates for the election and two were presented out of which one, (Ifurunwa) bought the Igweship form and the other did not.

“After one month the PG extended the purchase of the election to the next 10 days still the other contestant did not come for the form. Then the PG called for the conduct of the election at Oye market square where Timothy Ifurunwa won landslide through option A4 system even as the man that did not purchase the form was allowed to contest but he got no vote.

“Our Constitution says if the king dies the PG of the town will summon general meeting of the town union and cabinet members to plan on how to produce a new king and incidentally I was in the meeting conveyed by the PG.

“The cabinet was dissolved because they came from different villages, when our king was alive he chose anybody he liked from the different villages instead of the villagers presenting who they wanted. The community wrote a letter to PG that they didn’t know the cabinet members as they were not chosen by them.

“So these five cabinet members that opposed the smooth conduct of the election, their motive is to ensure perpetual darkness of the community, to disorganize any progress in our community and my prayer for them is God to give them long life, to be alive and see Ihite develop,” he prayed.

Recall that the few opposition urged Governor Charles Soludo to cancel the election that produced Timothy as Igwe-elect and disregard the process that led to the election of Timothy Ifurunwa as new monarch.

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 PG, Madu, of jettisoning the constitution of the community

Recall that the late Traditional Ruler, Igwe, B.O. Ofu, joined his ancestors in 2020, and since then the community has been denied its share of the state cake that is supposed to get to the monarch.

Reacting when contacted, the PG insisted that due process was followed adding that there were only few disgruntled elements in the community who were dissatisfied with the peaceful conduct of the election.

Meanwhile the Igwe-elect has been presented to the state Commissioner for local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Collins Nwabunwanne, for onward presentation to Governor Soludo for issuance of certificate of recognition to the Igwe-elect.