06/08/2025
Umuagwo people to Gov Uzodinma: call our Eze to order as crisis loom in the community over high-handedness
Following the looming crisis in Umuagwo autonomous community in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State over the community Traditional Ruler, HRH Eze Tony Oguzie alleged high-handedness, intimidation, unlawful termination of the community democratically elected administrative heads and imposition of caretaker committee, the people of the Umuagwo community have called on the Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma to intervene so as to uphold the peaceful coexistence of the community.
The call was made on Tuesday 5th of August when the media was hinted with impending fracas about to explode in the Umuagwo market and the community in general between the serving community elected Town Union, Umuagwo Youth Movement and Women wing leadership, and the Eze's recently appointed caretaker committee.
Findings within the environ, indicated that the community Eze had banned the elected Town Union, Umuagwo Youth Movement and Women wing activities ranging from Congress and Convention due to his cabinet misunderstanding with the Town Union President, Mr. Nick Amadi and thereby leading to the ban on other wing of the community administrative arms.
It was also gathered that the Eze recently constituted a caretaker committee in the community in truncation of the existing elected officers thereby leading to the community resistance and other actions capable of causing breakdown of law. Even as the matter is undergoing law enforcement agencies investigation.
In a contact with the community elected Town Union President General, Mr Nick Amadi who is a staff of Imo State Polytechnic, he expressed that "the suspension of Congresses in the community is still a surprise that this thing is growing to these extents because as an individual, I have never for once said anything against HRH. The purported Chiefs as they called themselves Council of Chief, that's the problem of the community. These are palace Chief of which I'm one of them. We're Eze's Palace Chiefs and some of them have decided to arrogate themselves as the community Council of Chiefs and we said no because in our constitution, villages nominate their Council Chiefs duly elected and present to Eze for recognition but the Palace Chiefs including strangers who were made Palace Chiefs on the 26th of December,2022 said they're Council of Chiefs and I said no, that's how they started ganging against me that I'm a kidnapper, ESN man, a thug and I was even locked up in FCID Enugu for 8 days.
"We came back and the matter was taken over by Abuja and we have been there for five times, they instructed us to go and reconcile, committee was set up but has not made any headway for the past three months and we have challenged them in court to come and explain how we're members of ESN, cultists, and thugs. There's a matter in the court where we challenged the Eze for unlawfully saying we shouldn't have our Congresses, all we heard from him was that he has banned the youth President, the women leader and has set up a caretaker and we challenged that it's unconstitutional. The youth President and his executives administration will elaps on the 27th of August,2025 and he has set up electoral committee, how come the Eze is suspending them? Eze is not part of the youth, the office of the youth falls under the Town Union both the women wing, Eze is in charge of custom and tradition whereas the office of the PG in every community in Imo State and South East in general takes care of administrative aspect of every autonomous community, but here, they wants to turn things the other way round, that's the situation we find ourselves and the reason why the youths are challenging the illegal people the Eze appointed as caretaker to take over the administration."
"The Eze should do what is right that's my advise to him because he's a man of repute, somebody we respect so much. Umuagwo happens to be one of the most peaceful community we have in this State. There's no too gain boosting about it, during the EndSars, nobody thought that Umuagwo will survive it but we stayed, there was no problem, under COVID, Umuagwo was moving perfectly well, so this is an aberration to us, it's just a surprise because we don't know what's happening to our Eze, that's just the truth."
"To my people, I have told them to continue to be calm despite whatever we're facing, communities face challenges and whatever makes you a community or a man is ability to survive the challenges you're having, so they're very very peaceful and I continue to tell them to be peaceful because we're going to overcome all these struggles in the nearest future."he advised.
In his own accounts, Comrade Opara Nnandi Albanus who is the President, Umuagwo Youth Movement said "I'm the elected President of Umuagwo Youth Movement, I have served my first tenure which is three years and called for election, after the election I won for the second tenure, and my second tenure is still running, just a month ago, I did a validatory ceremony to call my people that we are ready for election. Because I am a student of democracy, I believe election is the proper thing to be done: so I called for election within one month."
"But there's a temporary ban on the community by HRH Eze Tony Oguzie, of Umuagwo Autonomous Community. He had issue with the Town Union, because of that issue which is pending at FCID Abuja, he placed a ban on all Union that is in the leadership of Umuagwo: the Youth Movement, the women wing and the Town Union that there shouldn't be any gathering like Convention or Congress, because of that, for the love we have for him even though it's unconstitutional, we respected him, pending when he will lift this ban, to our greatest surprise, Eze only came on the 30th of July to announce the dissolution of the elected government, that it has been dissolved and a caretaker committed was set up to handle the affairs of the youths and that of the women. That act alone which is ultra vires, null and void, unconstitutional, is trying to cause crisis in the community."
"My office is been targeted at because I have refused as a person and President of the community to support illegality, to support anything that's not lawful or do anything that will mitigate the Constitution or any law in Umuagwo, I'm never in support of that and one of the reason they're chasing me is this, Umuagwo constitution, Ezeship constitution is clearly stipulated that our ezeship is "rotatory not hereditary" and Umuagwo exited from Umuapu autonomous community in 2004. He is the first king we're having but today, that ezeship constitution has been changed, it's now hereditary from the evidence we had from the Imo State compendium on traditional rulers that our Eze, HRH, Eze Tony Oguzie said succession to his throne is hereditary which is against the tenet of ezeship constitution in Umugwao, how we share our things here, it's rotatory as we have 6 villages, Umuelu, Umuezenwere, Umuturu, Umudukwo, Umuogbuanu, Umunguma."
"Whenever the Eze passes on, the throne of our traditional ruler will move to umuezemara which is the second village and that has been the nature of things, for now he's the first king we ever have had, he has not passed on but changing this clauses in the ezeship constitution is an aberration and I can not support such illegality that's the reason why they're after me and wants to appoint their chronic who will say yes to these, they want both the youth President , the woman Leader and the PG that will okay this very illegality and I will continue to resist what's unlawful, that's my position."
"The accusation about the PG that he's a member of ESN is laughable even the police knows the truth, FCID Enugu and Abuja knows the truth that the PG who's a Deputy Registrar to Imo State Polytechnic has never been involved in any act of cultism or violence so far and they're now trying to compell people like us to support their false accusation that PG is housing ESN members in Umuagwo which is not true , there has never been any case of ESN in Ohaji extraction, we're very peaceful, he can not do that and I can not support such thing, the king know that I have always been an upright person and I will continue to be upright, let justice be done and police at FCID Abuja are doing wonderfully well on this very issue." He attested."
"Umuagwo has been a peaceful community, we don't want crisis here and if there must be crisis, it shouldn't come from the Eze of the community who's the owner of the community, what he has just succeeded in doing is inciting crisis in Umuagwo which we don't want. We're calling the attention of His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodinma, the Executive Governor of Imo State who is a wonderful Governor and has been doing wonderfully well to ensure there's peace in every community in Imo State, to intervene on this very issue because there's a looming crisis in Umuagwo Autonomous Community. At the same time we're calling on the Executive Chairman of Ohaji/Egbema, Hon. Marcel Amadioha to also intervene in this very matter and call the Eze to order that we're in a constitutional era where democracy is all about the people choosing their leaders not by appointments and our constitution never provided for that."
"We're also calling on the House of Assembly Member who's representing Ohaji/Egbema, Hon. Dr. Uzoma Francis (Eze Buguma)to intervene on this very issue to avoid this looming crisis in Umuagwo, Umuagwo enjoys a peaceful atmosphere and environments and we don't want anything that will bring crisis in Umuagwo, that's our stand. The youth of Umuagwo are here, the illegal youths association he appointed will never function because it's undemocratic and will never work, we'll not allow it, government should come to our rescue."
"The Eze wants to stamped us, the Eze wants to kill this community and kill us as well, our lives are in danger he's doing it with his chronics, some of his Palace Chiefs and we know them all, so, we're calling on the governor to please come to our rescue. If we're ask to conduct election under three weeks, we'll conduct our election, I have already set up electoral committee to conduct this very election because I'm not a tyrant neither will I believe in the activities of coup d'etat or anything. Let the constitutional provision be followed. Our constitution page 34 section 2 says Election should be conducted three weeks to the expiration of the tenure and handover should be done a week to the expiration of the tenure and the tenure is still running and we're ready to conduct this election because our tenure will elaps on the 27th of August, 2025."
"As a respected father, our Royal Father whom I have given allegiance to, whom I have served very very well even in his letter to my dissolution, he acknowledged that I have served very very well, I want to tell him, HRH Eze Agbawodike izu de ii, respectfully, please reverse what you have done because you're my father, you want peace in your community, I have protected this community in your absence, under your instructions we have guided Umuagwo, there has never been crisis here, so please, do not allow people to deceive you HRH, let the proper things be done and I will continue to work with you in the future." He assured.
