There has been apprehension in Umuona, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State over political manoeuvres by a group of people allegedly plotting to unseat the town’s traditional ruler, Igwe Humphrey Ejesieme.
Concerned indigenes of the town who condemned the action against the Igwe described it as an offshoot of subterranean machinations of the group of people working under the tutelage of an indigene of the town parading himself as President General of Umuona Progressive Union (UPU) to sabotage Igwe Ejesieme’s rulership.
The concerned indigenes said the Igwe had been making untiring efforts at sustaining the tempo of progress and development in the town on the assumption of the thrown as Igwe of the community.
One of such concerned stakeholders and former youth leader of Umuona, Mr Chukwuma Ndubuilo, said the plots and conspiracies began last year, adding that many people had become worried that those behind the plots did not want sleeping dogs to lie.
Mr Ndubuilo explained that the leader of the group was needlessly undercutting and witch-hunting Igwe Ejesieme by striving to instigate the people against him.
Nnabuilo regretted that Umona people were being cast in a bad light despite their high reverence for the monarch who they said had continued to deploy his wealth to touch many lives positively, especially the indigent ones who had promised to stand by the Igwe.
According to him, this was why well-meaning indigenes of Umona mobilised for a peaceful protest at the Government House, Awka on Tuesday, during which they solicited Governor Willie Obiano’s intervention in the matter before it could spark off a serious crisis in the town.
Speaking on the matter, former President-General of Umona, Mr Ceasar Chinegbu said unless the state government swiftly moved into the matter to stop the leader of the group and his men from stoking instability by harassing the people of Umona, there might be a total breakdown of law and order in the town.
Regretting that matters nearly came to their heads when some people, who he said could no longer sit on the fence and watch the unfolding trouble, the PG said Umuoma indigenes wanted to physically confront the crisis plotter and his men.
He explained that it was only a timely intervention of Igwe Ejesieme and other peace loving elders in the town that persuaded them to shun violence
In a telephone interview, the royal father said he had no grouse with anyone as he had worked with two past Presidents General including the leader of the crisis plotters and his three cohorts who he said were seeking to destabilise the community and reverse the gains already made in the past nine years.
Wondering how he offended them, Igwe Ejesieme said he only advised the trouble makers to shelve their plans to amend the town’s constitution through backdoor tactics and stop fomenting trouble, sabotaging communal efforts, including annual traditional rites and festivals.
The monarch explained that the group fruitlessly sought to sabotage the town’s annual New Yam Festival in August 2021, by organising a parallel event in the civic centre during which some youth nearly chased them out but for the Igwe’s wise counsel.
“They later recovered from the shame to regroup again on December 24, and hired outsiders to disrupt the town’s annual children’s Christmas party during which we avail the little ones and their parents with gift items, including money and bags of rice.
“They followed this up by seeking to sabotage our ofalla celebration on December 30th but of course, they failed woefully as the turnout of Umona people and our neighbours and well-wishers in the mammoth crowd showed that my kingdom is solidly behind me, ” the Igwe said.
The monarch lamented that the group leader was doing the hatchet jobs just because he was told that any constitutional amendment without inputs from Igwe-in-Council and subject to the approval of Umona on a village-by-village basis was not only suspicious but also capable of instigating crisis in the community.
He said the man behind the crisis did not want to listen based on the fact that a government official working in the state Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs was throwing his weight around him and boasting that he could do anything to do their bidding with his position.
“That is why their leader is threatening fire and brimstone on Umuona, even when he did not win the election he claims to have won.
It will be recalled that a delegation of Umona people staged a peaceful protest in Government House, Awka, on Tuesday, chanting solidarity songs in support of Igwe Ejesieme and carrying placards with inscriptions such as: ‘Umuona wants caretaker committee,’ ‘Igwe Humphrey Ejesieme deserves his respects’, among others.
Addressing the protesters, Special Adviser to Governor Obiano on Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs said the government would soon address the matter to avert any unpleasant situation in Umona.
