* it is false – PG
The traditional ruler of Nawfia community, Njikoka Local Government Areaa, Anambra State, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo alleged yesterday that the community mass return held on 26th December 2016, was orchestrated to dethrone him even as the President General, Chief Nnonyelu Okoye described the allegation as untrue and false stating that it has no iota of truth.
Buttressing his point, the monarch said, “how can they organize a cultural day that falls with my portfolio without my knowledge and only come to invite me to the function”
“By right I am supposed to be the initiator as the custodian of tradition and culture.
How can they deny that they did not want to dethrone me when activities lined up for the event included masquerades display, age grade and dance troupes activities and they said it is a mere celebration of unity and launch of ultra modern town hall after about 30 years of crisis”.
“The President General in collaboration with the Abagana Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Mr. Dan Uke among others planned to dethrone me on the said date even if the DPO promised me that the event would not be more than a general meeting of the community but it turned out to be cultural day”, he revealed further
He recalled that since his enthronement after the assassination of his father, Igwe FFBC Nwankwo, he has been having a severe battle with some who it did not go down well with his enthronement as they also eye that seat by crude or crook means.
In a swift reaction, the President General denied that the mass return was aimed to dethrone him adding that “ we have no Igweship crisis in the community”.
“What we did was a triennial mass return that has not been held for about 30 years now and we used it to launch a new N100million ultra modern town hall. Nobody is dethroning him, he remains the Igwe and after him the throne gets to another zone, there are two zones, Ezi and Ifite.
It is never a cultural day, the masquerades he is talking about are side attraction as what we did fell within the administrative portfolio of the town union”, he stated
“His throne is not contestable but he should affirm it constitutionally”
Contributing, a philanthropist in the area and cousin to the monarch, High Chief Victor Nwankwo, thanked God for the successful mass return and launch for N100million ultra modern town hall adding that his interest is to give his God–giving wealth to the development of the community.
On the allegation of dethronement he said, “the Igwe is in our family already so how would I or any other member of the family plan to dethrone him”.
“I will not be deterred from assisting to develop my community. I want to build a Catholic Church because we have only one in the community and I purchase a land which I handed over to the church but the Igwe stopped the work and demolished the perimeter fence. For three consecutive years now I have procured and shared 120 tricycles to people on ballot arrangement and he demanded to have five of them but I refused because they were meant for charity and he took offence”.
“A road I was constructing including bus-stop which I named after our blessed Virgin Mary because I am an adherent believer in Her, the monarch stopped work on them as he sees my good works as plans to dethrone him”
In his defence when contacted, the DPO said he has no right to stop the mass return scheduled to raise fund for the development of the community and he was not served with any court order to stop it and urged the monarch to make peace with his subjects.