Uzoagba youths protest against planned extension of PG’s tenure

…Insist community’s Ezeship stool is non rotatory

By Jude Onyenedogha

Youths of Uzoagba Ancient Kingdom Autonomous Community, Tuesday trouped out in their numbers to  protest against the alleged resolution of few members of the community to elongate the tenure of the incumbent President General, Mr Johnson Anosike.

The youths who took their protest march to the Ikeduru Local Government headquarters in Iho and forward to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Owerri were also protesting the alleged plan of Mr Anosike and his group to politicize the traditional stool of the community which they said is hereditary, as Uzoagba is an Ancient Kingdom.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, such as; We support the Governor’s position: End appointed PGs now, let communities choose their leaders

• Uzoagba looks forward for an elected P.G, in accordance with the will of the people.
• Johnson Anosike must go
• Our tradition is not for sale, among others.

They described Anosike as Government appointed President General and stressed  that Governor Hope Uzodimma had since dissolved all government appointed P.Gs, but instead of Mr Anosike to relinquish the position and give room for an election to be conducted, he had held tight to the position, while making clandestine move to extend his position by an alleged resolution of his cronies.

The youths strongly condemned the plan of the present leadership to throw up the hitherto hereditary Ezeship stool of the community for election, wherein they have started the sale of forms at the rate of five hundred and fifty thousand Naira (N550,000) per form.

At the local government council, in the absence of the Chairman, the Director of Administration and General Services of the council, Mrs Florence Ngorka, who addressed the protesters informed them that the chairman was not on seat, but promised to deliver their protest letter to him, as soon as he comes back, giving them an assurance that the chairman will do whatever is needed to  maintain peace in the community.

While  appreciating the peaceful nature of their protest, Mrs Ngorka urged them to continue being peaceful in the effort to make their voice heard.

Fielding questions from newsmen, the youth President of Uzoagba, Mr Ukaonu Jude Onyekachi said they were simply demanding an election for the position of President General and other executive positions of the community and for the current P.G whose tenure has expired to step aside.

On the issue of traditional rulership, he said the community is an Ancient Kingdom, with hereditary Ezeship that has spanned over 100 years.

According to the youth leader, they were not just raising the alarm to protect the interest of the Crown Prince, whose father, the  late Eze Alphonsus Dabirinze presented to the community as his heir apparent before his demise, but they were also doing it to protect the lives of entire members of the community, as any attempt to take the throne away from where it is rooted will result in a dire calamity for the community.

Ukaonu disclosed that  the most recent attempt to politicize the throne  resulted in calamity for all those who took part in the action, as the man, Engr. Dr. Titus Akakuru who was crowned Eze, though from the same family, died within two years of ascending the throne, after all sorts of mysterious signs and  attacks on him and his entire family, adding that the man who crowned him died the same day he crowned him, while most of the elders who supported the action suffered and were still suffering various kinds of mysterious sicknesses, including blindness.

“Since I was born, even the history on ground, we have Duruaku the 1st, Duruaku the 2nd, Duruaku the 3rd, all from the same family/bloodline. It is now the turn of Tochi Dabirinze to ascend the throne of his fathers as Duruaku the 4th, having been so nominated by his father before his demise.

He called on the Ikeduru Local Government and Imo State Government to step in and ensure that justice is upheld, and the right thing is done, as they don’t want violence, crisis or bloodshed in the community. He said the purported Ezeship Election slated to hold on March 14 by the P.G and his cohorts is a catalyst for crisis and bloodletting in the community.

Also fielding questions from newsmen, Secretary of the youth movement, Engr. Jude Nnoshiri and a member of the body, Mr Ikechukwu Anyanwu corroborated the view of the youth President, adding “we are not happy about what is happening in our community. All these are as a result of greed, the love of money”.

They added that youths of Uzoagba, like other segments of the community were united in kicking against the planned politicisation of the Ezeship stool of the community, as well as the call for an election to fill the vacant seat of President General and other executive positions in the community.