Awka President General Chieftaincy Title Tussle Thickens

The Izu-Ozo community heads have called on Anambra state Governor Willie Obiano to intervene as a matter of urgency to restore normalcy to the state capital city president general squabble. 

They alleged the outgoing President General of Awka Development Union of Nigeria (ADUN), Mr. Tony Okechukwu  planning to perceptual himself in office, after serving his constitutional tenure of single term of three years , allegedly  conspiring with the Awka traditional ruler, Igwe Gibson Nwosu, the Eze-Uzu II of Awka   to altercate the constitution in the bid to serve two term in office.

Addressing journalists in Awka,  the secretary of  Izu-Ozo Group in Awka, a group of titled men in Awka, Dr. Aneze Chinwuba said Awka constitution does not provide for tenure elongation, adding that Okechukwu has ceased to be the PG for Awka since March 17, 2015. He said: “Our constitution says that election of new PG must be conducted three months to the expiration of the tenure of the incumbent, but Okechukwu started talking about the election after Awka people had started complaining about the sit tight attitude of the PG.

“He wanted an extension and was telling people that he needed more time to organize the election, which was why three different groups in Awka wrote the state government to object the suggestion for the extension.” In the midst of the confusion, the Izu Awka, an assembly of all Awka people, met and insisted on the appointment of caretaker committee, pending the conduct of the election in May as directed by the state government.

According to Chinwuba, we first visited the eldest man in Awka who blessed everybody before the meeting was held at Obu Awka, with all the branch presidents of Awka Development Union Nigeria in attendance, adding that it was at that meeting that seven persons were selected to serve as members of the caretaker committee.

Chinwuba said further: “We have written the state governor, notifying him of the decision of Awka people. Awka is against tenure elongation and if anybody tells Okechukwu that he will stay beyond his tenure, that person is merely encouraging tenure elongation which is not in our constitution. “The seven persons that have been selected as caretaker committee members are standing by for the governor to approve their nominations.”

On his part, the former President General, Awka Development Union of Nigeria, Lagos branch, Chief         Okafor Emmanuel corroborated the allegation leveled against the incumbent PG of Awka, Mr. Tony Okechukwu, said he had on many occasion requested them to learn support to his tenure elongation, described the act as unconstitutional and against their 2008 constitutional amendment position that provides for a single term of office for two major clan of Awka district that ‘’I am surprised that the Traditional stool of Awka community does not seem to recognise the body, As I speak with you now, all the branches of ADUN in Lagos, Abuja,Enugu, Onistha, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, you can name it, have concluded plans  to boycott the purported May 15^th  election,  all the branches have been holding meetings and we have seen the hand writing on the wall, because the former PG has refused to follow due procedure of doing things,he saw that his tenure is running out of him and he started making frantic moves to adopt the 2014 constitution, the 2014 constitution we are talking about  is almost thesame in content, the only area he touched is the area that consign election and tenure of office.''

''The 2008 constitution that brought him into office, stipulates that he has one tenure of three year , when he saw that he does not have any chance of contesting again, he now ran into amending the constitution and was trying to pass it into law before the time now ran out of him'.

‘’ What we are saying is that he is no longer the president General for Awka Development Union of Nigeria and he should desist continue to parade himself as the PG of Awka’’ He Handed down the charge.

Also speaking, the serving deputy president  General of Awka Development Union of Nigeria, Barrister Raphael Onyibo   Nzekwe who condemned the action of his  PG and resolved the committee should move against his actions;‘’Before the expiration of this tenure, he tried to manipulate the constitution to elongate our tenure, because, he wanted to contest when the constitution says no, we were elected for a single term of three years in office and the constitution is very clear of that’’

'Constitution says you don’t contest again for the post you have held before, so he now purported to amend the constitution by removing those clauses which says you cannot contest for the same position again, In that constituion of 2008, Awka is divided into two sections, Ezi and Ifite, in Ezi, we have three communities, Amikwo, Agulu and Ezi-Awka, there are some villages in these three communities, in Ifite, we have also about four communities,  we have Amachala-Nnato,  Ayomnokpala, Ukwelle and Ifite-Awka'.

''The constitution says, each quarter where the President General and Deputy President General is  zoned, the two zone cannot stay for more than two tenure in each quarter , so our case in question is Honourable Emeke Nwogbo has served as the President General of ADUN and he is from Umunoke Village Awka, he had stayed about two years before he won election into the Federal House of Representatives , he therefore left for the Federal House of Reps., then after him, we still allow the people from Ifite, then Okechukwu now emerged , nobody from the Ezi quarter contested with him and then Engineer Tony Okechukwu won for the tenure, then he has completed the two term  the constitution allowed for Ifite people ‘’

''Then any further elections that shall be contested for the post of President General and deputy president  General shall equally be zoned, it is now the turn of Ezi quarters to produce the President General while Ifite will produce the post of deputy president General. The former PG has purportedly amended the constitution to read that; somebody who has held a particular position can still re-contest for the same position, now he is worming up to contest, when the two terms allowed for their people have elapsed or has been exhausted , so these are the burning issued in Awka, so today now, he still planning to hold election on the 15^th day of May, 2015, despite the fact that the polity is heated, in fact, if he allows election to hold on 15^th day of May, heads may roll, am just telling you the truth we are just holding our youths so that there would not be any bloodshed’’ He charged.

Report gathered had it that the governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano through the state ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs  issues statement in a date earlier before the National General Election and read thus: “Please kindly note that in view of the upcoming general elections in the country, there is the compelling need to maintain peace and order in all the communities in the state. Consequently, all town union elections will be kept on hold until after the conduct of the general elections.

“This policy implies that Awka Development Union election scheduled for March 7, 2015 has been suspended in this circumstance. In the light of the above, the present Awka Development Union executive should hold forth, while the town union election shall be conducted within the first half of the month of May, 2015.”

  

Though Okechukwu and his team had concluded arrangements to conduct the election on March 7, 2015, it had to shelve it following a letter signed by the special adviser to the Anambra State governor on chieftaincy and town union matters, Mr. R.O. Udemba, directing that all town union elections should be put on hold.

The letter from government reads: “Please kindly note that in view of the upcoming general elections in the country, there is the compelling need to maintain peace and order in all the communities in the state. Consequently, all town union elections will be kept on hold until after the conduct of the general elections.

“This policy implies that Awka Development Union election scheduled for March 7, 2015 has been suspended in this circumstance. In the light of the above, the present Awka Development Union executive should hold forth, while the town union election shall be conducted within the first half of the month of May, 2015.”

However, a section of the community, apparently not aware of the government’s directive, held a meeting in Awka during which they accused the PG of trying to perpetuate himself in office after the expiration of his tenure on March 17, 2015.

Responding to the allegation, Engineer Tony Okechukwu debunked the allegation and regarded it as baseless and a figment of Imagination by desperate people trying to truncate the peace Awka have long been enjoying under his tenure, he related the reason to the delay in conduct of the election to a directive sent by the special adviser to the Anambra State governor on chieftaincy and town union matters, Mr. R.O. Udemba, directing that all town union elections should be put on hold, stressed that the teamhad concluded arrangements to conduct the election on March 7, 2015,but  it had to shelve it following Governor’s directive.
Engineer Okechukwu also blamed their threat on an earlier date action of his mother who was condemned for puring sand on the husband's grave, and the said issue has been determined upon bythe church and a court of competent jurisdiction  which is tantamount to contempt of court, the dust-dust issue that happened in 2012 is still fresh in their mind, and they now see it as an opportunity to it back as me for my re-election bid.''
'If they insist we go by the Ifite axis position, that means I will now contest afresh tenure for our second term of office, because Honourable Emeke Nwogbo's tenure was abridged by his political ascension to the house of representatives.'' Okechukwu explained.

His Royal Majesty, Eze Gibson Nwosu dissociated himself from the  brewing crisis and stated he was bent on making sure they have peaceful transition from one administration to another, but was disappointed that his efforts were now regarded as an act of conspiracy against the interest of Awka Kingdom.
His Word, 'I don;t have any interest in any candidate, mine as the traditional ruler of Awka was to ensure peace in maintained and see that who ever emerges as the President General of Awka, under a free and credible election, my duty is to present the person to the governor as our new PG.'
'Why would some people take pride in causing disharmony in a peaceful community like Awka and I want to urge them to give peace a chance and allow anyone eligible candidate to participate in the socio-cultural exercise''. Igwe Said.

Only time would tell if the aspiring team would allow for a peaceful election as proposed by the outgoing administration, against the allegation of purported tenure elongation by the President General of Awka Development Union of Nigeria, Engineer Tony Okechukwu.