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The High Court of Enugu State, Amagunze Judicial Division, has issued an interim injunction restraining Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe from organising or celebrating a New Yam Festival earlier scheduled for November 1.
The order, granted under Suit No. HAMA/24/2025, followed an ex parte motion filed by High Chief Linus Ejimofor Igbudu and Chief Raphael Chukwu on behalf of Uhuegbe village.
The plaintiffs argued that Uhuegbe village holds the legitimate right to produce the next traditional ruler (Igwe) of Mburubu Town, and that Mr. Onuokaibe’s self-declaration as Igwe-elect and attempt to host the festival constitute a usurpation of authority and a violation of established customs.
After reviewing submissions made by the applicants’ counsel, Ike Ozor, Justice J.L.C. Okibe granted the interim injunction, stressing the need to maintain peace in the community pending the determination of the substantive motion.
Justice Okibe ordered that, “all parties, including the defendant, his agents, or any affiliated group, are hereby restrained from organising, promoting, or celebrating the advertised New Yam Festival under any guise on November 1, 2025, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
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It will be recalled that on February 12, 2025, Justice C.O. Ajah of the Enugu State High Court delivered a landmark judgment affirming that only candidates from Uhuegbe Village, second in the community’s traditional order of seniority, are qualified to occupy the Igweship of Mburubu in line with the Mburubu Town Union Constitution.
The court further ruled that Onuokaibe, a native of Umunafor Village, which ranks fifth in seniority, is constitutionally and traditionally unqualified to contest for the throne.
Justice Ajah described his claim to the stool as “illegitimate and contrary to the customs, traditions, and legal framework governing the selection of traditional rulers in Mburubu.”
Meanwhile, the community has urged the general public to disregard any invitation to the purported festival, warning that attendance could heighten tension.
It also clarified that Mburubu had already observed its annual New Yam Festival, known as Igba Aju, in August 2025.
