Ihite Igweship Crisis: Community Writes Soludo, CP to Halt New Yam Festival
Govt. Charles Soludo of Anambra State
By Ifeizu Joe
Tension and apprehension have gripped Ihite community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State following the announcement of September 29, 2026, as the date for the community’s new yam festival, amid a lingering dispute over the traditional rulership of the community.
Chief Timothy Okwudiri Ifurunwa was installed as the traditional ruler of Ihite in January this year after he was issued a certificate of recognition by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
However, prior to his installation, members of the Ihite Traditional Council, the body responsible for the selection of the traditional ruler under the community’s traditional arrangements, had rejected the process that produced Ifurunwa, alleging that they were sidelined and that another group was presented as the legitimate traditional council for the purpose of selecting the monarch.
The aggrieved members subsequently challenged the process in court and they obtained an order of the State High Court, Umunze, setting aside the coronation pending the determination of matters relating to the selection of the traditional ruler.
The dispute took a fresh turn last week when Ifurunwa announced September 29, 2026, as the date for the Ihejioku Ihite 2026 Festival, the community’s new yam festival.
The announcement has reportedly heightened tension within the community, with members of the traditional council objecting to the fixing of the festival date while the dispute over the traditional stool remains before the court.
The council, through its lawyer, N.I. Onyeakpa (Esq.), has petitioned the Anambra State Governor through the Commissioner for Local Government, Town Union and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Vin Ezeaka, as well as the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji-Ama, seeking the suspension of the proposed festival.
The petitioners said their intervention was aimed at preventing a possible breakdown of law and order in the community.
The petition, made available to our correspondent in Awka, the state capital, was accompanied by an invitation card for the proposed new yam festival and a copy of a court order issued by the State High Court, Umunze, setting aside Ifurunwa’s coronation.
In the petition, Onyeakpa said his clients were members of the Ihite Traditional Council who were selected by the various villages that make up Ihite during the reign of the late H.R.H. Igwe B.O. Ofu Eze Amama I of Ihite.
He said that following the monarch’s death in 2020, the council members continued to perform traditional functions in accordance with what he described as the subsisting Chieftaincy Constitution of Ihite, including fixing dates for the annual new yam festival.
The lawyer alleged that the President-General of the community, Mr George Madu, and some other members of the community unilaterally amended the Chieftaincy Constitution and subsequently declared Ifurunwa the Igwe-elect of Ihite without following due process.
He said:“It is our brief that our clients are members of Ihite Traditional Council, selected by various villages making up Ihite during the time of H.R.H. Igwe B.O. Ofu Eze Amama I of Ihite. Since his demise in 2020, our clients, in compliance with the subsisting Chieftaincy Constitution of Ihite, continued performing traditional functions of the town, including announcing dates for the new yam festival.
“We are unhappy that the President-General of the community, Mr George Madu, and some cabals in the town unilaterally amended the Chieftaincy Constitution of the town, without due process, and pronounced Mr Timothy Okwudiri Ifurunwa as the Igwe-elect of the town.
“The crux of this petition is to call your attention to the fact that the status of Igwe-in-Council of Ihite is a subject matter of litigation in Suit No. HOS/47/2024, yet Okwudiri Ifurunwa is parading people as members of the Ihite Traditional Council and performing the duties of our clients, who are the authentic members of the Ihite Traditional Council of the town, until the contrary is proved.
“Furthermore, the action of Okwudiri Ifurunwa in fixing September 29, 2026, as the date for the Ihejioku and New Yam Festival, when the subject matter and the proper persons to perform the function are pending before the court, amounts to disrespect for the judicial process, and such action ought to be condemned by your office.
“In the light of the above, we are aware that matters of this nature are within the jurisdiction of your office as the Chief Security Officer of the State, and we urge you to call Ifurunwa to order to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
“Sir, more so, we are calling on you to use your good office to condemn the action and direct Okwudiri Ifurunwa and his collaborators to respect the rule of law and stop further moves on the proposed New Yam Festival fixed for September 29, 2026, until the decision of the High Court on the matter.”
The chairman of the Ihite Traditional Council, Chief Sir Dominic Ahamkaoye,and an illustrious son of the community, High Chief Sampson Ikechukwu Okoli, also expressed concern over the development in separate interviews with journalists.
They questioned why the state government had allegedly allowed Ifurunwa to proceed with preparations for the festival while the dispute over the traditional stool remains unresolved in court.
The two community leaders further alleged that Ifurunwa was imposing levies on villages to raise funds for the proposed new yam festival.
They called on the relevant authorities to intervene in the dispute and prevent any development that could further heighten tension in the community.
The development comes against the backdrop of the ongoing legal dispute over the selection and recognition of the traditional ruler of Ihite, with both sides maintaining competing positions on the legitimacy of the process that produced Ifurunwa.
