.Community dares Anambra governor
. Parallel kingmakers’ council emerge
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Awka town, the capital of Anambra State, has been thrown into anarchy following the dethronement of its monarch, Obi Gibson Nwosu, by a faction of the Awka Council of Kingmakers and a group of Ozo title holders.
The faction led by Ozo Obuora Essell, the oldest Ozo title holder in the town, Chief Ameobi, ECG Okechukwu and Dr. Aneze Chinwuba alleged that the monarch, Gibson Nwosu, desecrated the sanctity of Awka Royal Throne, through insubordination against the traditions of the land and high-handedness.
Consequently, the faction announced that in the next six months a new Traditional Ruler, Eze Uzu of Awka kingdom, would be crowned and that before then the staff of office of past monarchs and all other royal and traditional appurtenances in the custody of Obi Gibson Nwosu would be recovered from him.
But the other faction of kingmakers led by Ozo James Eze most senior of the Ozo title holders loyal to the monarch and the Secretary, Ogbuefi Chief Chris O, described their action as the machinations of a cabal that has been practicing voodoo and cultism in the land.
Also dismissing the dethronement, the President General of Awka Development Union Nigeria (ADUN), Mr. Tony Okechukwu, insisted that the actions of Essell and his rival President General, Ambassador Ameobi Nwokafor, speaks volume of the grand plot to sentence Awka into perpetual anarchy and to traditional occultic beliefs and practices on Awka people.
But the Anambra State government has announced that “the purported dethroning of Obi Gibson Nwosu is illegal and of no effect,” while urging the public to discountenance the development.
Meanwhile, the state government through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr. Greg Obi, further warned that those behind the “alleged dethronement of the monarch should be aware of the law against anybody parading himself as the monarch of the town.
Ozo Obuora Essell, whose faction made the Regent of Awka kingdom, however, dismissed the statement of government, insisting that government cannot choose for the community who would be its monarch.
“It is of no consequence if the state government chooses to accept it or not and what we have done is the minds of Awka people, who earlier accepted Gilbson Nwosu as their Traditional Ruler. Now they do not want him again and he remains dethroned.
“When you look at section 17 of the same constitution which is titled, ‘Death or Disqualification of the Traditional Ruler’ from sub section (e) to (h), you will find out that what we are doing is right,” he said.
Countering Essell’s claims, Ozo James Eze told The Niche that “what Essell is saying is neither here nor there. “Government issues certificates that recognises the Traditional Ruler of every community in Anambra State.
“His insistence that I am not the most Senior Ozo title holder is false because the Awka chieftaincy constitution stipulated that at any meeting of Ozo title holders the most senior present at that meeting presides and at the meeting that updated the members of the council of kingmakers I was the most senior and he was not there at the meeting and the constitution made it clear that whatever decision taken at the meeting is binding to all members of the council of kingmakers.
Dust to dust burial rites
The crux of the division in Awka kingdom is the “dust to dust burial rite” of throwing sand by the widow of a late Awka man, which the Eze Uzu Awka Obi Gibson Nwosu stated that it was optional.
It would be recalled that the major issue is the crisis between the Catholic Church and secret cult members in high places masquerading as defendants of tradition ever dust to dust rites.
These people have held the Ozo Awka society in bondage as they terrorize anyone who disagrees with them, including members of the Ozo Awka Society who happened to be practicing Catholics.
The duo of Ozo Obuora Essell and the President General of Awka town, Tony Okechukwu, disagreed among themselves over the burial rites.
ESSELL: This has been there since origin and we are not the ones to change it. A community in Awka North called Ebenebe wrote us a letter we the members of Ozo Awka town to know how we burry our Christian members and we replied them. It takes three stages and I will read it out to you stage by stage.
So you can see that there was no provision for the widow to do that in the first place. If it is a widow that has been having problems with the late husband and you allow her with malice in her mind and expressing victory ever her husband who is now dead while scorn and sarcasm hipping all manner of instant on her late husband and we cannot accept it at all.
Okechukwu: What he is saying is not proper at all. They are all even fighting me simply because I am supporting our Obi, Gibson Nwosu, over that burial rite and when my own father was buried my mother threw sand into my father’s grave and they called it an abomination.
It is not an abomination; there was a meeting between the Roman Catholic Church and Awka people, represented by Ozo Obuorah Essell himself, Ozo Austin Ndigwe, Ozo Aneze Chinwuba, Ozo Ibe Onyejeme, Ozo German Nwafor, and it was agreed that it is optional, if the family of the diseased say widow should throws sand she should be allowed and if it is inacceptable the widow should not. These same people present at the meeting are fighting against it.
Daughter threw sand, sisters of the diseased throw sand into the grave of the dead man in question what is wrong about the widow throwing sand?
Presently, the “Izu Awka,” Awka general meeting, is slated to take place tentatively on the 30th of this month and top on the agenda is to contest the legality and authenticity of the last Izu Awka general meeting that dethroned the monarch and there are strong apprehensions that both factions may clash.
Already, security operatives have been put on notice to avert a breakdown of law and order on the said day.
