Ojoto Igweship: Okafor Heads To Court
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Loading ...…We support him – Ex Town Union boss
A new twist has been added to the Igweship tussle in Ojoto community in Idemilli South Local Government of Anambra State as a Chief Denis Okafor headed to Court to challenge the recognition of Chief Gerald Mbamalu as the traditional ruler of Ojoto by Governor Willie Obiano arguing contentiously that himself not Mbamalu was duly selected as Igwe Ojoto inline with constitution of the town.
It will be recall that Okafor and Mbamalu were battling for the throne before Governor Willie Obiano suddenly waded in and issued Mbamalu certificate of recognition as the ruler of Ojoto.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting at his palatial resident, Okafor said that he decided to go to court to use legal means to reclaim his mandate, explaining that he was duly selected for the throne according to the constitution of Ojoto and was waiting for recognition from the State Government before Governor Willie Obiano suddenly did otherwise and issued his opponent certificate of recognition.
He described Mbamalu’s recognition as purely unacceptable to him and his supporters noting that it is the prerogative of the people of a given community to select their traditional ruler as stipulated in Article 7 of the State rules and laws on chieftaincy matters 2007 as amended.
“I have gone to court and my requested is that the court should declare me as the Igwe of Ojoto and order the State to withdraw the certificate issued to Mbamalu and issue me certificate of recognition as the traditional ruler of Ojoto” he added
Also Speaking, a stakeholder and former President General of Ojoto town union, Chief Sir Dan Ilonze said that Okafor was selected according to the constitution and the failure to recognize him is a miscarriage of justice, thus he has to approach the Court to seek justice adding that he was at the helm of the town President General of the town union in 1979 when the constitution was signed into operation.
Ilonze explained that according to the constitution of the town, the Igweship stool should be rotational among two quarters of Ojoto North and Ojoto South and Okafor was selected in that constitutional direction. “The Constitutional says that the eldest village in Ojoto South will produce the traditional ruler and in the South the eldest village is Enugo. Again in Enugu it is meant that the ruler has to come from the eldest kindred which is Umuoffor and Okafor is from Umuoffor
“He passed through all the processes and was thoroughly screened by the Police and Department of State Security. He was presented to the Local Authority and Local Government Authority forwarded his name to the State Government for recognition. That is how it is done because is the right of the citizens of community to select a ruler coronate him and forward to the Government to recognition.
The ex-town union boss continued, “We were waiting for the recognition of Okafor but along the line Governor Obiano set up a panel of enquiry headed by Dr Tim Menakaya and while the panel was on seat Obiano invited the Mbamalu and issued him certificate of recognition as the traditional ruler of Ojoto that is a miscarriage of justice and that is why we support Okafor’s idea of going to court.
