Nzukora-Nnewi Ceases to Exist Moment It Rebels Against Igwe Orizu — Anambra Lawmaker

Hon. Onyekachukwu Augustine Ike

By Raymond Ozoji, Awka

The lawmaker representing Nnewi North State Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Onyekachukwu Augustine Ike, has declared that Nnewi no longer recognises the existence of Nzukora-Nnewi for allegedly disrespecting the traditional ruler of Nnewi, His Royal Highness, Igwe Kenneth Orizu.

According to the lawmaker, Nzukora-Nnewi effectively ceased to exist from the moment it began challenging and contesting the decisions of the traditional ruler.

He stated that the people of Nnewi would not tolerate any act of desecration, insubordination, or disrespect directed at the revered monarch of the ancient Nnewi Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Igwe Kenneth Orizu.

Speaking with our correspondent on the controversy surrounding the alleged denial of Nnewi-Ichi Community’s right to produce the next Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Ike said he personally has zero tolerance for any form of disrespect toward the traditional ruler of Nnewi.

He maintained that wherever Igwe Nnewi stands on any issue, that position automatically becomes the position of the entire Nnewi community.

The lawmaker explained that it was both unacceptable and a taboo for Nzukora-Nnewi, the community’s town union, to have written a counter-letter to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo on the issue of which community should produce the next chairman of the local government area, especially after the traditional ruler had already written to the governor clarifying that Nnewi North operates a single-term rotational arrangement for elective offices based on a long-standing written agreement.

According to him, the agreement clearly stipulates that it is the turn of Nnewi-Ichi Community to produce the next chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area.

Ike further stated that all the counter-letters allegedly written to the governor on the matter were misleading and failed to reflect the true position of the people. He insisted that the entire Nnewi community stands firmly behind the traditional ruler’s position in the interest of equity, justice, and fairness, stressing that Nnewi-Ichi Community would not be shortchanged under any circumstance.

According to the lawmaker, Nzukora-Nnewi has no authority whatsoever to challenge, rebel against, or oppose the decisions of the traditional ruler because the town union remains subject to the traditional institution and the authority of the throne.

He argued that any attempt by the union to undermine the monarch’s position amounts to a direct affront to the traditional institution and the collective values of the Nnewi people.

Ike, who disclosed that he played a significant role in the emergence of the incumbent Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, noted that the current chairman was sworn into office with the understanding that he would serve a single tenure of two years before handing over to a candidate from Nnewi-Ichi Community in line with the rotational agreement.

He further alleged that institutions that ought to serve as checks on the chairman’s excesses have instead become instruments for advancing his personal political interests against the collective will of the people.

The lawmaker also accused Nzukora-Nnewi of becoming a stooge of the local government chairman, alleging that the union had abandoned its responsibility to uphold the established rotational arrangement.

He further claimed that the President-General of Nzukora-Nnewi had been successfully impeached by the people of Nnewi for allegedly tampering with the community’s constitution in an attempt to create room for the incumbent chairman to seek a second term in office, contrary to the age-long single-term rotational agreement governing political offices within the area.

Ike insisted that any attempt to alter the established arrangement would amount to a violation of the principles of fairness, equity, and mutual understanding that have guided political power-sharing among the constituent communities of Nnewi North over the years.