CENTENARIAN BEGS GOV. SOLUDO TO ENSURE JUSTICE ON HIS TOWN KINGSHIP SELECTION PROCESS
*SAYS IT IS THE TURN OF IFITE NTEJE TO PRODUCE NEXT MONARCH
By Eche Nwaobasin, Nnewi
A 120 years old centenarian Mazi Onyekwe Akwuba the oldest man in Nteje community Oyi LGA Anambra State has beg the governor of the state Prof. Charles Soludo CFR to urgently use his good office to intervene in his town kingship succession process which he alleged some powerful people in the town want to torpedo advising him to ensure that the long existing zoning arrangement which will make it possible for only candidates from Ifite Nteje the zoning quarter it is their right to produce the next monarch of the town do so as other two quarters namely Ezi and Ikenga Nteje has produced in the past.
Making this passionate appeal to Gov. Soludo while addressing a crowded press conference called by the entire people of Ifite Nteje which was well attended by Elders of the village, women, youths as well as all stakeholders of the village on the backdrop of an alleged move by one Bar. Charles Aduaka who hails from Ikenga Nteje the zoning quarter where the last monarch of the town late HRM Roland Odegbo hailed from to make himself the new monarch of the town, the centenarian Mazi Akwuba appealed to Gov. Soludo to disregard any move or gestures to truncate the peoples wish noting that doing such will cause confusion and enthrone anarchy in the entire town.
Said he, “The truth I know from my long years in this world which I understand is not by my power but the grace of God, I want Gov. Soludo to listen to me as what I am telling him is the whole truth about Nteje kingship, “In our town, we don’t have problem on who is to emerge, We have three zoning quarters, we have Ezi Nteje, they have taken their turn through the late HRH Samuel Nnaemeka (Abogu I)Our last monarch HRM Roland Odegbo AboguII who died recently came from Ikenga, so it is the turn of Ifite Nteje now to produce the Igwe according to our succession arrangement as it is in our town constitution and nobody shall truncate it”.
Speaking also, Mazi Ughamadu Amakom, Uchenna Ezinwa, chairman and assistant chairman of Ifite Nteje elders while narrating the history of the town kingship and how the town has been going with it without riches in the past, they heaped blames on what they described as self serving individuals who are enemies of the town progress and peaceful existence.
Saying that these disgruntled individuals of the community will not succeed, they stated that the true position is that it is the rightful turn of Ifite Nteje to produce the next monarch as every right thinking indigene of the Community understand it. The duo who said that the people of Ifite Nteje have capable people to lead the town as king, assured that more development will spring up in the town any time somebody from the village takes over as the new monarch just as they warned land grabbers to stay clear of the village as their lands are not for sale.
Adding their voices, Chief Charles Ughamadu Odili, Ichie Bar. Dave Enuagha, Clement Nwoye, Martin Ofokansi, all Igweship aspirants, chorused that the kingship of the town is the exclusive right of their quarter Ifite Nteje as specified by the existing zoning arrangement on the selection of new monarch of the town and warned that nobody will deny them their right of aspiration just as they wanted trouble makers to desist from anything that will cause trouble in the community.
Contributing also, Bar. Paulinus Ikechukwu Obichukwu chairman of the Igwe selection committee, Mrs Nwude Nwoye, Mrs Nkiliuwa Justina Eboh, two women leaders of Ifite Nteje all appealed to Gov. Soludo to hearken to voices and feelings of the people and intervene to ensure that what belongs to entire people are not truncated on account of few disgruntled and self serving individuals in the town.