Ifitedunu Leadership Crisis: Igwe Ilouno Insists on Reinstatement of Nwoye

The traditional ruler of Ifitedunu community in Dunukofia Local Government Area, Igwe Dr Chukwuemeka Ilouno has thrown his weight behind the former President General of the community, Chief Uchenna Nwoye, insisting that he should be reinstated.

Nwoye who has the title of Isimmili Ifitedunu had been removed as the president general of the community in 2021, after winning the position in a free and fair election conducted on 30th December 2019.

He was removed on trumped up allegations levelled against him by some conspirators, while a caretaker executive was installed by the former Governor Willie Obiano led administration.

But with the emergence of Prof Soludo’s government, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Collins Nwabunwanne has vowed to right all wrongs in various communities in the state, which have brought about rancour and crisis.

Seeking a way to bring peace in Ifitedunu, the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Dr Chukwuemeka Ilouno, in collaboration with his Igwe in council has written to the state government, calling for the reinstatement of Chief Nwoye as the president general of the community, saying it was the surest way to achieving piece in the community.

In the letter, Ilouno, who is popularly addressed as Eze Dunu said: “On behalf of the good people of Ifitedunu and Igwe in council, we thank you for the wise decision not to renew the mandate of the caretaker committee imposed on our community. This action has brought some level of sanity to the town.

“We are faced with two options. Either to bring back the elected officials or to have a new election. Each of this options has its own pros and cons, which are enumerated below. We are of the option that the lesser evil should be chosen.”

Igwe Dunu named the lesser evil as the reinstatement of Nwoye, saying, that its merits are in legion and can guarantee peace in the community and also end endless litigations, which has been witnessed by Ifitedunu Town Union.

He said in the letter that bringing back Nwoye led executives will: “Spare the community of the trouble of going through another election with attendant consequences, since the elected executives who won the election by landslide on 30th December 2019 are still the popular choice of the people, and their tenure ends in December 2023, when another election will be conducted, and the presidency of the union moves to the next village.

“Also, electing another executive officers now will mean that the new executive will insist on having a fresh tenure, which will pitch the village having the presidency now, against the next village the presidency will move to. This in our view will be a much bigger problem than we are having now.

“Bringing back the elected officials will encourage the president general to withdraw the court case, which he had instituted against the state government, and bringing back the elected officials will send a strong signal to those that lost election that you can not disrupt a smooth running of a town union government, hoping to have another election, thereby trying to get what you lost through the back door.”

Igwe Dunu enjoined the commissioner to chose the option of reinstating Nwoye, saying that the demerits of not doing so are numerous.

He listed some of the demerits to include: “A new exco may demand fresh four years, the old exco may not withdraw case and may get injunction to stop a fresh election, and not reinstating Nwoye may embolden losers to always cause trouble, in the hope of getting a fresh election.”

Some members of Ifitedunu community who spoke to THE RAZOR NEWS said Nwoye executive remained the most popular in the community, while many described it as being the freest election ever, having been conducted by some intellectuals in the community, including Pastor Ben Akabueze, DG Budget and Planning, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rev Fr Edwin Obiorah SAN, Rev Fr Joseph Nwosah and other respected clergy from the community.