Enugu community defends Igweship election amid backlash

From Jude Chinedu, Enugu

Chairman of Amundi Village Youths in Eha-Ulo Community, Eha-Alumona, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Henry Nwamba, has defended an election held to select a candidate for the community’s traditional ruler, saying it was an internal arrangement aimed at reducing tension and ensuring unity.

According to Nwamba, the Igweship stool of Eha-Ulo was zoned to Amundi Village by the community leadership, with five persons from the village initially expressing interest to contest.

To avoid division, the village youth leadership organised an internal poll to produce a consensus candidate, resulting in Okechukwu Nwamba emerging as the preferred choice.

“Our village was told to bring a candidate for this Igweship throne, and five persons indicated interest. To ensure we didn’t go into the community election divided, we proposed an internal vote. The five aspirants agreed, though one later stepped down, leaving four to contest,” Nwamba told journalists in Nsukka.

He stressed that the internal election does not override the authority of the town union to conduct a formal community-wide election. “This is only to position the best among us so we won’t struggle too much during the town union election. The town union can still organize its election whenever it chooses,” he explained.

Nwamba criticised the president general of the community for allegedly attempting to discredit the village’s decision because his preferred candidate did not win.

“The town union is the umpire in this process, and it should provide a level playing ground for all aspirants. It is wrong for ETU to condemn how a village conducts its internal affairs. It’s like INEC condemning a political party’s primary election,” he said.

In his reaction, Okechukwu Nwamba expressed gratitude to his people for their support and pledged readiness to participate in any formal election organised by the town union.

Meanwhile, the Eha-Ulo Community, through a communiqué issued by Chief Paulinus Odo and Chief Richard Asogwa, President General and Secretary General of the community respectively, denounced and disassociated itself from the election.

They described the election as a sham and “a mockery of our sacred traditional institutions,” the community viewed the action as an attempt to install an “Igwe” through illicit means.