Some members of Ihite Community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, led by the community’s traditional council have rejected the process that led to the selection of Mr Timothy Ifurunwa as king.
Angel Network News (ANN) gathered that Ifurunwa was elected last week by a section of the community, under the prompting of the President General, Mr George Madu.
The community’s traditional council has petitioned Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, urging him to intervene to avert crisis in the community and to also disregard the process that led to the selection of Ifurunwa.
In the petition signed by their lawyer, Barr N.I Onyeakpa, Chiefs Ahamkonye, Daniel Ifemkpa, Anudu Ephraim and Geoffrey Okeke, all members of the traditional council accused the president general of the community, George Madu of jettisoning the constitution of the community in the selection, just to favour his candidate.
Onyeakpa in the petition told Soludo that: “Ihite town in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State lost their Traditional Ruler Igwe, B.O. Ofu in 2020.
“Under Ihite native law and custom, after two (2) years of transition to glory by the Royal father, there shall be a joint meeting of the Ihite traditional council and the town union wherein the two important bodies in the town will discuss on how a new king or traditional ruler of the town should be elected.”
Onyeakpa said the president general, Madu did not following the guidelines of the constitution in the process. He urged Soludo not to issue a certificate of recognition to the newly elected monarch, Ifurunwa.
He said it was a surprise to the community that Madu could continue with a selection process, even when his authority to singlehandedly select a monarch and sidelining the traditional council of the community was still being determined by the court.
He said: “Our clients filed Suits in both customary court and Magistrate court challenging the purported dissolution of Ihite traditional council by the President General, and illegal process of selection, nomination and screening of a would be traditional ruler of Ihite without reference to the traditional council of Ihite.”
Two members of the traditional council who spoke with journalists; Chief Geoffrey Okeke and Onowu Dominic Ahamkonye called on Soludo to cancel the election and not to be deceived into issuing certificate of return to the new monarch.
The president general of the community, Mr George Madu who spoke to newsmen insisted that the process was right.
Madu said there were only few disgruntled people in the community who were unhappy, insisting that the process was transparent.
