Tension Mounts In Anambra Community Over Planned New Yam Festival

A fresh crisis is brewing in Ihite Community in Orumba South local government area of Anambra State over the plan by the disputed traditional ruler, Chief Timothy Okwudiri Ifurunwa, to perform the town’s traditional New Yam Festival rites.

Last week, Ifurunwa announced that the Ihejioku Ihite 2026 festival would hold on Monday.
But the announcement has been rejected by members of the town’s traditional council, who are in court challenging his installation as the community’s king.

The aggrieved council members insisted that since Ifurunwa’s Igweship is still the subject of a dispute in court, he had no right to set a date for the festival.

Consequently, the members through their lawyer, N.I. Onyeakpa, have petitioned the Anambra State governor through the commissioner for Local Government, Town Union and Chieftaincy Affair, Barr. Vin Ezeaka and the state commissioner of police, Nnanna Oji Ama, seeking a halt to the festival to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

In the petition, they urged the state government and the police to stop the festival to save the community from being engulfed in an avoidable crisis.

The petitioners attached a copy of the order of the State High Court sitting in Umunze, which allegedly set aside Ifurunwa’s coronation.

In the letter, made available to LEADERSHIP, Onyeakpa said, “It is our brief that our clients are members of Ihite Traditional Council, selected by various villages making up Ihite during the time of H.RH Igwe B.O. Ofu Eze Amama I of Ihite. Since his demise in 2020, our clients, in compliance with the subsisting Chieftaincy Constitution of Ihite, have continued to perform the town’s traditional functions, including announcing dates for the new yam festival.

“We’re unhappy that the President General of the community, Mr George Madu and some cabals in the town unilaterally amended the Chieftaincy Constitution of the town, without due process and pronounced Mr Timothy Okwudiri Ifurunwa as the Igwe elect of the town.

“The crux of this petition is to call your attention to the fact that the status of Igwe in the Council of Ihite is a subject matter of litigation in Suit NO. HOS/47/2024, yet Okwudiri Ifurunwa is parading fake people as members of the Ihite Traditional Council, performing the duty of our clients, who are the authentic members of the Ihite Traditional Council of the town, until the contrary is proved.

“Furthermore, the action of Okwudiri Ifurunwa fixing 29 September 2026 as the date for Ihejioku and New Yam festival, when the subject matter and proper people to perform the function are pending in court, amounts to disrespect, and such action is supposed to be condemned by your office. “In the light of the above, we are aware that the matters of this nature are within the Jurisdiction of your office as Chief Security Officer of the State to call Ifurunwa to order to avoid breakdown of law and order. Sir, more so, we are calling on you to use your good office to condemn the action and direct Okwudiri Ifurunwa and his collaborators to respect the Rule of Law and stop further moves on the proposed New Yam festival fixed on 29 September 2026, until the decision of the High Court on that matter.”

The chairman of the Ihite Traditional Council, Chief Sir Dominic Ahamkaoye and another illustrious son of the community, High Chief Sampson Ikechukwu Okoli, who spoke to journalists in separate interviews, wondered why the Anambra State government can not tame Ifurunwa, who they said is currently taxing villages to sponsor the new yam festival, even when he remains an illegal monarch.

LEADERSHIP, however, learnt that Ifurunwa was installed as the traditional ruler of the community in January this year after he was issued a certificate of recognition by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

It was also gathered that prior to his installation, members of the Ihite Traditional Council, the body saddled with the job of selecting the king, frowned at the selection process, insisting that they were sidelined and that a fake council was used to carry out the job.

They were said to have challenged Ifurunwa’s selection in court and secured a court order annulling and setting aside the coronation until all matters pending in court regarding the selection were duly resolved.