EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
Elder Onyema Ugwunze, an Illustrious Son of Oba in Idemili South LGA, Anambra State and an International Businessman based in the United States in an Exclusive Interview bares his mind to the Press on the challenges, huddles, Schemes, frustrations, litigations, clash of interests and storms Oba community and Oba people had to navigate including some of his involvement in the Igweship Selection/Election process before the emergence of Igwe Engr Augustine Chinedu Emelobe as the EzeOkpoko II of Oba.
SIR, LET US MEET YOU OFFICIALLY?
My name is Elder Onyema Ugwunze from Isu-Ebii village, Oba.
AKUNESIOBIIKE?
No, I don’t answer any nickname and I am not a Chief. I am just addressed as Elder because I have a gospel ministry although it is a small ministry.
SINCE ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO WHEN LATE IGWE P. C. EZENWA, EZEOKPOKO 1 OF OBA JOINED HIS ANCESTORS OBA COMMUNITY HAD BEEN CAUGHT IN AN IMBROGLIO OF IGWESHIP SELECTION/ELECTION PROCESSES, CAN YOU TELL US YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY AS A STAKEHOLDER BEFORE OBA PEOPLE ARRIVED AT MARCH 15, 2025 ?
To God be all the glory! These Igweship Selection processes started about 4 years ago. There have been different Oba Patriotic Union (OPU), Presidents General before we got to this point. Eventually God sent us this particular PG, Engr. Anthony Uzo Ejiofor (Ezeugonnia Oba) who is an intelligent young man.
The initial Igweship selection/election process was cancelled. Myself, Barr. Azuka Anyadiegwu and Hon Ndu Ikokwu were among those who faulted that first selection/election process. We realized that Barr. Orlando Ibeakuzie XYZ a member of the central Igweship screening committee and a legal adviser to OPU was also a legal representative to some of the Igweship candidates. What a conflict of interest?
On the other hand Mr Ukadike Ibeabuchi, the Chairman Okuzu Akanato, was also part of the Okuzu quarter Screening Committee, making him an umpire in his own game. These persons were allegedly collecting money from candidates. Orlando allegedly confessed collecting money from one of the candidates from Isu quarter. The same thing with Ukadike at Okuzu.
So, we said: ‘Don’t we have personalities in Oba? We wrote a petition insisting that the first Igweship selection/election process was tainted, completely tainted and unacceptable. We wrote to the then PG, Chris Emelie and copied the Regent. We asked the Regent, Chief Noel Ezenwa: ‘you are supposed to be an umpire, how come you are part of the screening committee? We do not agree with what you people are doing, Emelie, you cannot continue meddling with the Igweship selection/ election process like that. Although, our advice was not taken but thank God that first process was later cancelled because of its gross inconsistencies.
SO, WHO INITIATED THE NEXT IGWESHIP SELECTION/ ELECTION PROCESS AND WHY DID IT ALSO FACE SEVERE OPPOSITIONS AND LITIGATIONS?
God gave us Ezeugonnia Uzo Ejiofor, a responsible man. He did not take sides. Even if he did, he kept it personal to himself. God in His infinite mercy helped us to the extent of where we are today.
Engr. Augustine Chinedu Emelobe emerged from Okuzu while Barr. Vincent Ananti emerged from Isu. Let us not talk about the processes it took for them to emerge.
We discovered that those meddling in this Igweship Selection/ Election process include Darlington Agha, the Chairman screening committee who faulted his own committee. Where do you see such a thing? You Darlington swore that Emelobe would never become Igwe Oba. What did Emelobe do to you?
Regent, you are the representative of the monarch system in Oba, we thought we were in the same page but you were playing on our intelligence. You were never interested in leaving the stage at all. Anywhere we go, you frustrate our efforts. God now began his work. You people used members of Anambra State Government in different forms. Let us not mention names but eventually God made Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State to step into the matter.
I will not go further without mentioning Chief Boniface Onyeka Okom II of Oba, Onowu Prime Minister. He has been one of our major backbones, a solid rock Oba people can move with.
WHAT ROLE DID CHIEF BONIFACE ONYEKA (OKOM II OF OBA) PLAY?
It was Okom II, Chief Boniface Onyeka, one of the eldest Ichie and our prime minister who declared that it was the turn of Ndi ‘Isi Oba’ to ascend the throne. If not we may not be where we are today. He convened all the cabinet members and told them that their side “Ime Oba’ has enjoyed the throne for over 40 years stressing that it was the turn of Isi Oba to go, select and produce the next Igwe EzeOkpoko. That Statement or Declaration was a milestone, a landmark and a turning point which made the contest less complex and easier.
However, when we came to select who will become king, we, Ndi Isi Oba could not agree on one person. So, Isu and Okuzu from Zone B now selected the two persons I mentioned earlier Ananti and Emelobe through different processes. That is why I say kudos to Okom II and his allies for that pronouncement.
Bear in mind, that truth is never easy to embrace in times of adversity but God started using individuals at different points to navigate us through this Igweship Selection/ Election process.
Earlier, Ukadike had a candidate Ikeora, Sam Odinammadu who eventually did not emerge from Okuzu. Eventually, we discovered that Chief Vincent Ananti had been hijacked by Darlington Agha and Ukadike.
HIGHJACKED? BUT CHIEF ANANTI WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ISU’S CANDIDATE SUPPORTED BY ISU PEOPLE
Yes, I called Vincent Ananti and reminded him that it was I, Onyema Ugwunze who nominated you, before you joined the Igweship Contest.
Vincent, I called you on phone while you were in America , told you to put your phone on speak out so that your wife would hear my voice. I said: “You told me that they have started selling the Igweship/EzeOkpoko II form at Oba. You said yes. I told you Vin can ‘t you go and pick your own form and contest?” Vin said it did not occur to him to contest. ” I told him, Vin go and pick the form,if you don’t have enough money I will pay. He said that a lot was required in the Igweship process. I told him that I will call some people to support him, which I did.
“I called Barr. Azuka Anyadiegwu, Hon Ndu Ikokwu, Mike Chiwuzie , Edwin Nzelu. I told them to come let us hold a meeting on how we can support Vincent whom I nominated. So that Vincent will challenge Obi Ufondu, Okwuduba Anyaorah, and Emma Nwanegbo giving us trouble in Isu. “I told them that we should not keep quiet. These people allegedly fingered in Land grabbing, selling our lands will not become our Igwe” Besides, there are 16 criteria in the constitution which these three were yet to prove how they fit into.
Of course, Vincent Ananti is not a saint but he is a better deal for us. That is how we gave our full support to Ananti.
WHAT MADE YOU TO LEAVE OR ABANDON BARR. VINCENT ANANTI, YOUR OWN CANDIDATE TO JOIN FORCES WITH ENGR. A. C. EMELOBE?
The reason for choosing Vincent Ananti initially was because we wanted to get someone with a resemblance of an honest and good candidate because the other three had issues with either land grabbing or Youth escapades or importation of shrines. We needed a better candidate to dislodge them so we nominated Ananti.
We were in that process when Emelobe resurfaced, declared his interest again to contest. Igbo people say, ‘if a big masquerade enters the arena, the smaller masquerades give way’.In the Oba Igweship contest Engr. Emelobe is a big masquerade for us. We were asking Emelobe to contest before, he dodged, but later resurfaced.
We owe it as our duty to call Vincent Ananti for a crucial discussion but the Ananti whom we brought into the scene refused to back down. Instead, Ananti left us and joined affinity with Chief Noel Ezenwa assuring him that when he becomes Igwe, they will be holding cabinet meetings at the Late Igwe P. C. Ezenwa’s palace. We told Ananti that in that case you don’t have the capacity to be Igwe Oba. We equally told him that if he insisted that he must continue in the Igweship Contest we shall henceforth support Emelobe. That was how we left Ananti and told Emelobe that we are now solidly behind him – Emelobe.
HOW WAS THE AFFINITY WITH EMELOBE KNOWING HIS INITIAL CHALLENGES FROM HIS OWN PEOPLE AND THE CENTRAL IGWESHIP SCREENING COMMITTEE?
Engr. Emelobe enumerated his challenges to us and we told him we shall fight alongside with him.
Two of us, Myself and Ndu Ikokwu joined Engr Augustine Chinedu Emelobe but Omenyi Nzelu and Mike Chiwuzie stood with Barr Vincent Ananti. There were lots of huddles but we overcame all those huddles by the Grace of God.
All the Police, EFCC, Court cases that came up including Orlando Ibeakuzie who I call the weapon of mass destruction was also used to truncate the process but God led us and saw us through.
Again, Chief Boniface Onyeka Okom II did a wonderful job by controlling the EzeOkpoko Cabinet system, keeping it intact during all these crises. Chief Ifedinoba, Ichie Ejighiebunu and some others came out fully to stand behind Emelobe.
The PG, Uzo Ejiofor stood his ground, he maintained that the right thing should be done without bias. The instrument of power was being used against him. Several times they were looking for him to arrest him. The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Courts, LGA Chairman kept inviting our PG but God was all these periods protecting him from any harm.until we got to this point.
Oba people held an election on 21st December,2024 which Emelobe won with over 1000 votes but they were shouting that Government was not involved in that election.
They wrote another petition, Government now said that in order to avoid trouble they should be invited to officially witness the Igweship Selection/ Election. That was why the election was slated to hold March 15, 2025 . But already, God knows we have an Igwe. Today, March 15, 2025 is just the Confirmation of our Igwe. Praise the Lord!