Opposition fails to stop Igwe Rowland Maduokolu Odegbo’s burial rites
…. Obiano to attend
By Felix Oti, Awka.
It was a total failure to the opposition group to stop the burial rites of the late traditional ruler of Nteje Community, Oui local government area Anambra state, Igwe Rowland Maduokolu Odegbo.
A day to the last Ofala, sporadic gunshots were fired at Umuefi Ifite Nteje and environs, as prominent members of the community and youths in the town were believed to have gone under for safety as security operatives were believed to have been mobilized to check any tendency for breakdown of law and order.
All the streets were deserted and shops closed under fear of the unknown.
The opposition group, through B.S.C. Mofunanya, Dr. Charles Emenogha Aduaka, Daniel Igwekwe and Jideofor Okuh, had attempted a legal ambush through an Exparte Motion to thwart the final funeral of Igwe Odegbo by suing Governor Obiano, and the state commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Matters, Greg Obi, among others in an Abuja court.
In the first relief brought in suit Number FHC/ABJ/CS/74/2022, before an Abuja court presided over by Justice I.E. Ekwo, the Plaintiffs/Applicants sought for an order to stop the state government or its officials from according passage rites to Igwe Odegbo under any guise as traditional ruler of Nteje and, in particular, as Igwe Aborgu II of Nteje.
The plaintiffs also sought for an order directing or commanding defendants, namely, the Inspector-General of Police, Service Chiefs, and State Commissioner of Police, among others, to take all reasonable steps to enforce the order stopping the celebration of the last Ofala festival in honour of Igwe Odegbo as traditional ruler of Nteje and in particular as Aborgu II of Nteje.
But Justice Ekwo’s order seemingly did not stop the celebration of the last Ofala as he ordered the plaintiffs to put the defendants on notice; parties to maintain status quo ante while the case was adjourned to February 24, this year.
Reacting, the President-General of Nteje Development Union (NDU), and Chairman of Igwe-in-Council, Hon. Benneth Chinweze said the government has done the needful while the community is set to accord last respect to its monarch as scheduled.
Chinweze who is also the Traditional Prime Minister (Onowu) of the Community said the Article 7 Constitution of NDU recognizes the President-General of the Town Union as the Chief Mourner who has all the legal and communal rights to organize and supervise the performance of the last Ofala.
The President-General accused a prominent son of the community based in Abuja as being the sponsor of the crises including the community’s traditional chieftaincy tussle in a bid to install his puppet and intimidate indigenes.
He questioned the temerity of Chief Mofunanya in speaking for the community and purporting Dr. Aduaka who has no Certificate of Recognition as the Igwe-elect, in contravention to the Constitution of NDU, whereas he is not even a member of NDU.
According to him, the Traditional Stool rotates among the three-quarters of Ezi Nteje, Ikenga Nteje and Ifite Nteje, adding that, after Odegbo’s last Ofala, the stool will move from Ezi-Nteje to Ifite-Nteje quarter.
The President-General pointed out that Odegbo as the duly-recognized and Certificated monarch has been on the throne for over a decade, performed three Ofala Festivals and served as Chairman of Oyi Local Council of Traditional Rulers Forum, among others.
Today’s event, it was learnt, will attract Governor Obiano, and members of his cabinet. the incoming governor-elect, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and traditional rulers led by the State Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Alfred Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, among others.
Opposition group led by a prominent son of the community based in Abuja of being fingered in the sponsorship of opposition to the reign and interment of Odegbo as the monarch of the community after ten years on the throne.
