Abacha Community Torn Apart Over Town Union Leadership

The Abacha community in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State has been thrown into crisis over the leadership of its town union.

Abacha comprises two blocs – Akanator and Umudisi. The Akanator bloc, which controls four of the community’s seven villages, boycotted the town union election held on Saturday at the community civic centre.

The four villages – Umuekpeli/Logba, Umuazu, Ubuma and Umuokpolonwu – staged a protest at the venue, carrying placards and chanting against the conduct of the poll.

Leaders of the protest, including Chief Jonas Okafor (Umuekpeli/Logba), Messrs Gini Obed and Chinemelu Young (both from Umuazu), and Mr. Chinedu Nathan (Umuokpolonwu), accused the Umudisi bloc of hijacking the President-General position contrary to a power-sharing agreement.

Speaking to our correspondent, Okafor said Umudisi had already produced both the traditional ruler, Igwe Godwin Nwabunwanne Odiegwu, and the Onowu (traditional Prime Minister), and was now plotting to produce the President-General.

He described it as a betrayal of an agreement reached by stakeholders before the selection of Igwe Odiegwu as successor to the dethroned monarch, Igwe Godwin Mbakwe.

According to him, Igwe Mbakwe, who is from Umudisi, was among the 12 traditional rulers dethroned by the administration of former Governor Willie Obiano. While some of the deposed monarchs were later reinstated after tendering apologies, Mbakwe was not reinstated because he challenged the government in court.

“Igwe Mbakwe later went on national television to allege that we in Akanator were responsible for his dethronement,” Okafor said.

He explained that although the town’s constitution provided that the traditional stool should rotate to Akanator after Mbakwe’s dethronement, the Akanator stakeholders conceded the stool to Umudisi to disprove Mbakwe’s allegation. That concession, he said, led to the emergence of Igwe Odiegwu, who is from the same family as Mbakwe.

Okafor added that because the positions of Igwe and Onowu are held for life and both are currently occupied by persons from Umudisi, stakeholders agreed that the President-General position should remain in Akanator and be rotated among its four villages.

He said that when the bloc sensed a plot by Umudisi to take the President-General seat, it petitioned the Anambra State Government through the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs. The ministry, he claimed, directed that the position be zoned to Akanator.

He appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene and ensure compliance with the zoning arrangement in the interest of peace.

Meanwhile, the election was eventually conducted under heavy security presence.

The leader of the three-man monitoring team from the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr. Chukwuma Echijiegwu Joseph, advised the newly elected President-General, Chief Tochukwu Oranu, to immediately constitute a peace and reconciliation committee.

He warned that the protest that trailed the election underscored the need for stakeholders to urgently resolve all contentious issues for the community to move forward.

In his acceptance speech, Oranu promised to run a transparent and inclusive administration, expressing optimism that his leadership would win the trust of all sections and unite the town for development.