By Our Correspondent
The Anambra State Government has formally put to rest the protracted dispute over the traditional stool of Awka, declaring Obi Gibson Nwosu as the authentic ruler of the community while nullifying the claim of Chief Austin Ndigwe.
The position of the government was conveyed in a White Paper presented to the Awka Town Union by the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tochukwu Nweke, who acted on behalf of the state authorities.
Reading from the document before handing it over to the President General of the community, Frederick Chinwuba, Nweke said the government accepted key recommendations affirming Nwosu as the substantive and incumbent traditional ruler of Awka.
He explained that the decision was anchored on the provisions of the Awka Traditional Rulers Amended Constitution of 1986, which stipulates a rotational system between the Ifite and Ezi sections of the community.
Under this arrangement, the government held that due process was followed in Nwosu’s emergence.
The White Paper further clarified the succession framework, noting that following the reigns of Ezeuzu the First from the Ifite section and Ezeuzu the Second from the Ezi section, subsequent occupants of the stool are to emerge in order of seniority from designated quarters, including Nkwelle, Amachalla Na Ato, Agulu and Ifite Awka.
Crucially, the government adopted recommendations explicitly stating that Ndigwe is not the traditional ruler of Awka and that his claim to the Ezeuzu throne is unlawful, effectively ending his bid for recognition.
While the government endorsed most of the committee’s recommendations, it rejected the suggestion that it should constitute a constitution review or amendment committee for the community, maintaining that its role is limited to offering advisory support on such matters.
Reacting on behalf of the community, Deputy President General, Chris Obuekwe, expressed appreciation to Governor Chukwuma Soludo for intervening in the dispute, noting that the decision has restored peace and unity in Awka.
He also commended the administration’s developmental efforts in the state capital and appealed for more projects to be sited in the area now that normalcy has been achieved.
The White Paper is widely seen as a decisive move to end years of contention over the revered stool, providing legal and administrative clarity to the traditional leadership structure in Awka.
The state governor, Soludo, had on several occasions warned Ndigwe to stop parading himself as the monarch of Awka, to no avail. This necessitated the constitution of the Justice Paul Obidigwe Panel on the matter, which affirmed Nwosu as the authentic traditional ruler of Awka.
The government’s White Paper now serves as the final imprimatur on the stool and a last warning to Ndigwe on the matter.
