Trouble As Three Igbos Battle For Eze Ndigbo Title In Oyo

Three persons are at loggerhead over the prestigious title of Eze Ndigbo in the south western state of Oyo.

Vanguard reports that the three warring parties are Dr. Alex Anozie, Chief James Nduka Oramadike and Chief Alloy Obi.

Dr. Anozie was reportedly elected as the Eze Ndigbo on the authority of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in 2000.   Chief Obi and his group however began to parade themselves as Onyendu Ndigbo, a title which Anozie challenged in court citing that it was not in conformity with the Ohaneze Ndigbo and therefore null and void.

READ ALSO: Ohaneze Igbo Move To Reconcile With Deji Of Akure

In 2009, Chief Obi and his group allegedly claimed Anozie had been removed which brought about crisis. A court order however went in favour of Anozie. The court in February 18, 2014 recognised him as the rightful owner of the title.

The court also stated that there could only be a single Onyendu Ndigbo for Oyo and that since Anozie was elected in September 30, 2000, there could be no other one.

The court finally granted an injunction restraining Obi from parading himself as Onyendu of Ibadan and Oyo, an issue Obi later appealed in a court.

Anozie however said that anyone doing anything contrary to the court ruling was an enemy of the country.

“Anybody I am referring to could be radio, television, government and even me. I learnt that the other side has appealed the judgment of the State High Court, they should wait for the outcome of the appeal. It should also be noted that when you appeal a judgment of a lower court, it doesn’t mean the judgment no longer subsists. It subsists until the appellate court says otherwise. The truth is bitter but it is good to tell the truth. Both of us in the crisis presented our evidences before the court and the court having weighed the evidences and pronounced me as the holder of the title.”

Anozie’s camp is also struggling to settle issues with the national body if the Igbo group. The camp alluded to the recent visit of one Ogochukwu Onyema who claimed to be the vice president of Ohaneze Worldwide. Onyema reportedly made some statements that seemed to be against the ruling of the court.

They said: “If it is true that they are the ones who sent one Ogochukwu Onyema to Ibadan on 15th of August, 2015, to come and say all what he had said, then they need to take caution . We are responsible peace-loving citizens of Nigeria who so much believe in the rule of law, and that is why we tolerated so many provocations since many years now, and we have continued to allow the judiciary to help us sort things out peacefully. Oyo state is peaceful and we want it to remain peaceful”.

READ ALSO: Afenifere Demand Ban Of Igbo Rulers In Lagos

“We are aware of the antics of the very person who has been the brain behind all these problems since all these years; he would want to drag everybody that matters into this controversy, including the South-East Traditional Rulers and Ohaneze national body, whom we expected to play a justified fatherly role in this issue.”

The trouble around the Eze Ndigbo title in Ondo state has seen the Deji of Akure place a ban on the title in the town

The post Trouble As Three Igbos Battle For Eze Ndigbo Title In Oyo appeared first on Nigeria News today & Breaking news | Read on NAIJ.COM.