Anambra monarch laments protracted town union crisis in his Nawfia community seeks urgent govt interventions
By Chinwe Nwacha
The protracted leadership imbroglio bedeviling Nawfia town union in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra state appeared to be endless following the lamentations of the traditional ruler of the area, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo (Osuofia II).
Though Nwankwo's chieftancy certificate was withdrawn in 2020 by former Governor Willie Obiano for being among the 11 traditional rulers in the state that accompanied the aggrieved oil magnate and billionaire political financier of the state, Prince Arthur Eze to Abuja to intimate former President Muhammadu Buhari of non payment of the statutory five percent of state monthly allocation to the traditional rulers in the state, as stipulated in the 2007 traditional rulers law, Igwe Nwankwo is still of the opinion that the withdrawal of his certificate is illegal because the constitution guarantees freedom of movement (section 41).
He argued that the said constitution does not guarantee that in as much as it is the power of a state governor to issue a chieftaincy certificate to a new traditional ruler to enable him become functional, it is the duty of a governor to get royal blessing from traditional rulers before traveling outside his state and not on the other way round.
Speaking to newsmen at his Palace in Nawfia, Igwe Nwankwo declared: "The genesis of town union crisis in Nawfia community was the fraudulent securing of constitution written by a caretaker committee in 2012".
"Constitutionally, a town union caretaker committee, which is also known as an adhoc committee, has no right or power whatsoever to write a constitution guiding a town union in Anambra state. Town Union Constitution must be written by an elected town, Union leaders adopted by all the villages or at least two-thirds of the number of villages before it could be regarded as a legitimate one. "
"But in our own case, a caretaker committee appointed by the state government since 2012 to work for only three months and conduct an election of town union government arrogated power to itself, wrote a constitution that was rejected by nine out of 10 villages and imposed it on the town".
"When the then caretaker committee wrote the constitution in 2012, shortly after their appointment, I went to court to challenge their power to write a constitution in Suit No. A/298/2012, but they went behind the scene, conspired with judicial officers in the same matter, sued the state government and fraudulently obtained an order in Suit No. A/200/2013".
"With this ugly development, I promptly wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council, NJC against the court.
"As it stands today, he continued, I learnt that one Chief Ifeanyichukwu Nkemka is presently claiming to be the authentic President-General of Nawfia Town Union and at the same time seeking a certificate of recognition from the present day state government. It is not true. To my knowledge, nobody has been the elected President-General since 2012".
On how to reconcile the alleged withdrawal of his Igweship certificate by the former Obiano administration and the current town union imbroglio, Igwe Nwankwo declared: "The town union crisis started in 2012 but my certificate was withdrawn in 2020. In any case, my certificate withdrawal has no bearing because I did not commit any offence to warrant the withdrawal".
"Besides, court has ordered the state government to return my certificate which they have not done because of an appeal for a joinder made by one Chief Obele who is living in a fool's paradise by also parading himself as the traditional ruler of Nawfia".
Insisting that he never committed any offence to warrant the withdrawal of his Igweship certificate by the then Obiano administration, Igwe Nwankwo expressed optimism that the incumbent Governor Soludo administration would return the certificate to him or at worst the incoming administration that would emerge after the upcoming November 8 governorship election would do the return.
Standing his ground that he never committed an offence under any known law to warrant the withdrawal of his Igweship certificate, only because he and some other traditional rulers went to Abuja with Arthur Eze to press home their demand for payment of five percent allocation to the traditional rulers in the state, Igwe Nwankwo stated: "The 1999 constitution guarantees freedom of movement. We the traditional rulers are not under obligation to take permission from a governor before traveling to anywhere".
"Rather, it is the governor that is supposed to come before the traditional rulers, bow his head and solicit their royal blessings before traveling out of the state on a working visit and not the other way round".
On why he refused to apologise to the governor like his fellow 10 other traditional rulers that traveled to Abuja with him did and their suspensions were lifted, Igwe Nwankwo maintained that he never committed any offence to have warranted him tendering an apology to the then Obiano administration, adding that as a man of policy, he does not believe in doing eye service.
