…they are criminals – Igwe
By Chinaza Okeke Onitsha
The people of Awba Ofemili community, Awka North Local Government Area, Anambra State, have urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo, to dethrone their monarch, Igwe Ezekwesiri Ernest Maduagwuna, and conduct a fresh President General, PG, election saying the incumbent PG is imposed on them which has resulted in killings, raping, land grabbing, setting houses ablaze, among others.
Addressing newsmen during their general meeting held at Cosmila Hotel, Awka, the state capital, the people, under the aegis of Awba Ofemili Stakeholders, accused the monarch, Chief local vigilante officer and All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA leadership in the community, of conniving to perpetrate the crimes.
Accusing their spokesperson, Prince Ikechukwu Kem Kem, they recalled that the crisis started when the monarch imposed his candidate, an unpopular person, as PG, instead of the candidate of the majority of the people in the community.
“I played major role in the enta enta enthronement of Igwe Maduagwuna, but he went and set ablaze my rice farm and equipment which I took a #21 million loan from Federal Mortgage Bank to procure. I was unconscious for days in hospital because of this and my father died in the process, believing I would die but God revived me.
“We want our amiable Governor Soludo to dethrone him, and conduct an election for PG because the monarch imposed his candidate on us in collaboration with the local Chief security officer and APGA leadership in the area. These are the people that now set perceived enemies’ houses ablaze, take away their goats, sell their land, rape women, among others,” he stated.
Contributing, another member of the stakeholders, Mr Cornelius Chijioke Nwakonobi, disclosed, “Because I condemned the atrocities being perpetrated by the monarch and his cohorts, the monarch listed my name among those he tagged as cultists and submitted to the police. We are not deterred by his antics as we are determined to rescue our people from bondage,” he vowed.
“Scores have been killed, women are being raped, houses are being set ablaze, people’s land sold, animals like goat and sheep taken away from their owners and this is what we are against. we are going to protest, these atrocities being committed in our community.
“The person we want as our candidate for the post of PG was denied being there and the monarch imposed his candidate on the community. Government should conduct a fresh election for PG seat without delay,” he pleaded
In a swift reaction when contacted, the monarch denied all the allegations levelled against him and others, stating that the community is peaceful even as he described the stakeholders as a bunch of criminals who sell people’s land, and rape women, among others.
His words, “They are a bunch of criminals in the sense that they sell people’s land, rape women and other atrocities and were made to refund the money that runs into #30 million to #40 million when the case was brought and decided in my palace. My former palace secretary has joined them. Their annoyance is also that their candidate for the PG election failed and since then they started causing a crisis in the community.
“If you don’t like those elected you go to court and not go to the hotel and call a meeting saying you have removed me as monarch. They don’t have the right to call for a meeting, it is only the PG that can call for a meeting. Ikechukwu Kem Kem is not a prince, his father was never a king.
“If you want to remove a monarch you don’t stay in a hotel and remove him. There is a constitutional process of removing/dethroning a monarch and they don’t have the power to remove me, they are not stakeholders as they claim because they have not done anything to the community. Some of them are not even paying their community levies.
” I have their voices on record where Cornelius Chijioke and others are calling me names, that I am a criminal selling people’s lands, setting buildings ablaze, killing people, among others. They commit cyber crimes, they are not APGA members but oppositions. I am not their mate, I was once council chairman and deputy chairman.
“My influence when I joined politics brought about the tarring of this Amansea/Awba Ofemili road by Governor Soludo. We are the highest beneficiary of this Government, it takes about 10 minutes to get to Awba Ofemili from Amansea junction,” the monarch disclosed.
