A representative of the Igwe-elect of Oba town in Anambra State, Cardinal Chukwujama, has debunked insinuations that Governor Charles Soludo has threatened to arrest the new Igwe-elect of Oba, Engr Chiedu Emelobe, the Eze Okpoko 2.
Speaking to journalists on the development, Chukwujama revealed that the news, which has gone viral, is being perpetrated by a team of five persons who were part of the electoral process but decided to reject the outcome when Emelobe won the polls.
He explained how the different developments led to the emergence of Emelobe and why the claim that he was rejected was being peddled by news outlets despite the genuineness of the polls.
Reliable reports also say that some key stakeholders of Oba, including Chief Obinna Iyiegbu (Obi Cubana), General Emeka Onwuamaegbu, as well as all the Chiefs and Ichies are fully in support of the just concluded election.
The final results of the election, which was endorsed by the Chiefs, Ichies and the generality of Oba town, had Emelobe garnering 784 while Ananti scored just 25 votes, in a clear case of a landslide victory.
Recall that on Monday, 23rd December 2024, the news media was awash with reports that Gov Charles Soludo ordered the arrest of anyone parading himself as the Traditional Ruler Oba of Community in Idemili South local government area.
The statement credited to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, said there was no election conducted in the Oba community for the emergence of a new Igwe of Oba, noting that whatever activity or actions taken by the community is illegal and criminal.
He also said there is a pending Court matter concerning the election of a new Traditional Ruler of the town.
But speaking on the matter, Chukwujama argued that the statement was not a true representation of what happened and that there was a transparent election where a new Igwe in the person of Engr Emelobe emerged. Hear him:
“The people behind this conspiracy are Prince Noel Ezenwa, Uche Ibeabuchi, Chief Samuel Odinammadu (Ikeora Oba), Barr Vincent Chuma Ananti, and Prince Bambam Henry Ezenwa. These are the people working against the interest of Oba. Someone like Samuel Odinammadu was a candidate in Awkuzu quarters but lost out in the primaries. He got 30, but the winner emerged with 34 votes. Even at that, if they had done a proper screening, he still would have failed. The Chairman of the village, Uche Ibeabuchi, didn’t want them to hold a screening exercise because if they did, he would lose out. He can’t read, he can’t write. So they held a primary, and he lost, and Engr Emelobe emerged. When we wanted to hold the election, we filed a case in court, because their candidate lost at the screening. He is called Godwin Chukwuma Njubaigbo. Chairman of the screening committee, Darlington Agha called him to withdraw as he has lost, so that his 10 million naira will be refunded to him. The 10 million is not a charge for the elections but the pledge he made towards building our new palace. He was also told that if he refuses to withdraw, it will be announced to the people of Oba that he has lost. We waited patiently for the court to give judgment from July, August, September, October, and November. Then, we secured judgment and a victory after the agreement we reached between the plaintiff and the petitioner.
Based on that agreement, the judge had made her judgment, but because we came to make peace, she then said she would postpone her judgment so that she would go through the agreement and marry it with her judgment to give a consent judgment. That’s exactly what happened in the court. After that, we prepare for the election. It was Prince Noel Ezenwa and the President General of Oba Patriotic Union (OPU) who fixed the election for a Friday. Noel Ezenwa congratulated the PG, those who went to court and the people of Oba for that understanding and agreement.
Surprisingly, Noel Ezenwa went behind and wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. The Commissioner then called us and said we should not hold the election on Thursday, but shift it to Saturday to accommodate the civil servants. We agreed to that, so we don’t disenfranchise anyone. We called for a meeting on Tuesday and announced that we are shifting the election to Saturday on the advice of the Commissioner. Again on Friday, the Commissioner invited Noel Ezenwa and the Ichies and Chiefs over to the Commissioner of Police. He said there is a petition claiming that someone will die in Oba if the election is held.
The Chiefs and Ichies decided not to honour that invitation and went to Merchant of Light, where the election was to be held on that Saturday.
How can you invite the Chiefs and Ichies to come for a meeting on the same day that the Oba people fixed for their election? Everybody was at the election except Noel Ezenwa the petitioner, and his allies, Chief Benjamin Anieriobi and Ichie Ajah. Oba people had their election, a rancour-free election. It was well attended and well covered by the media. Television houses covered it, it was on Facebook. The police and other security agencies were there. Oba people peacefully conducted themselves and voted for a new Igwe. At the end of the day, Engr Augustine Chinedu Emelobe emerged victorious as Igwe Ezeokpoko the 2nd. We were then surprised when the reports started flowing where they said that the Commissioner and Soludo cancelled the election. Another person working with that group is Chief Ben Chibueze, Ochiudo Oba.
He and his son, Ebuka Ochiudo are part of the conspirators.
_Why they are fighting_
The reason they don’t want Engr Chiedu Emelobe is because they perceive him as their enemy after he stopped them from selling people’s lands in the community. He told them they couldn’t sell people’s lands. That’s the problem. He asked Ezenwa to be the chairman of Oba Microfinance Bank, but he said no, that he wanted an election and walked the engineer out of his house. The next day they held the bank’s board election, and he got only one vote while Emelobe got six votes. When he saw his defeat, he asked Emelobe to step down for him, but Emelobe refused. The fact remains that he does not want to leave the position of Regent in Oba, and he knows if he contests for Igwe, he will lose. He just wants to remain regent till death. But Oba has a new Igwe now.
We heard that the Commissioner had reached an agreement with Ikeora for him to be made Igwe, but no one can lord over the Oba people and select anyone over our people. We know what we want. We want an Igwe of the people. Ikeora never passed primary school and after his screening, he didn’t qualify. The videos are there.
6 principal conspirators Chief Noel Chukwuemeka Ezenwa, Uche Ibeabuchi Ukadike, Chief Ben Chibueze, Ebuka Chibueze, a councillor representing Oba ward 1 in Idemmili South LGA, Barr Vincent Chukwuma Ananti, an Igweship candidate from Isu, Mr Darlington Agha.
