Orukwu community, Nnkanu East of Enugu State have rejected the the selection of Mr. Emmanuel Mbah as the Igwe Elect of Oruku community in Enugu State.
Chief Ikechukwu Anike, Chairman of Oruku Town Union, said this in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja.
The statement said that there was no election of the traditional ruler of Oruku Community nor President General or Executives on December 26th 2019 as claimed in media propaganda sponsored by Mr Emmanuel Mbah the Caretaker Chairman of the Union.
Anike said that on 2nd July, 2019, Enugu State Government appointed a 5 man Caretaker Committee for Oruku community for a period of six months, headed by Mr Emmanuel Mbah,
while Mr Ikenna Nwatu is the Secretary.
The terms of reference is to coordinate the production of an acceptable, constitution for the election of the traditional Ruler of the community as well as Town Union Executives.
He said that the Caretaker Committee were not mandated by the Government circular and pronouncement to share or self-appoint themselves to the two leadership positions in the community viz a viz the Igwehip and Oruku Town Union President General.
According to him, Emmanuel Mbah self-appointed himself as the Igwe elect while Mr Ikenna Nwatu appointed himself as the President Gerneral of Oruku Town Union.
He said that there was no constitution of the community ratified and signed by all the 14 families of the present Oruku Community who are the constituents in Oruku as had been the tradition and custom of Oruku Town.
He statement further revealed that Emmanuel Mbah runs the affairs of the community as his personal enterprise refused to throw the contest open nor bring out any guideline for the selection/election of Igwe and President General before the community.
“He went further to appoint some of his stooges and cliques present as Executive members of Oruku Town Union without any election and without the presence of the Ministry of Chieftaincy Matters nor Rural Development as is the current practice in the State.
“We also wish to emphatically state that Oruku community had been engulfed in an intra/inter communal conflict with Umuode people for over 3 decades now caused by disagreements over the amendment of the 1976 chieftaincy constitution of Oruku Town in 1987.
“Oruku Community have many educated men who have proven themselves in different areas of human endeavor most of who currently aspire for the traditional stool of the town.
“Our well respected community has produced men and women who have excelled in the academia, service to the country as well as in business.
“The Igweship of our Community is not a reserve for mediocre, secondary school dropouts who possess no relevant academic qualification befitting and Igwe for the community and whose antecedents had been tainted with abominations and criminality,” the statement said. (NAN)
