Part Five
By Nwankwo T. Nwaezeigwe, PhD
In a badly concocted priggish outburst titled: “WHY AGUKWU NRI SEEKS THE AMENDMENT OF THE NPU CONSTITUTION TO RETURN TO STATUSQUO ANTE – A bid to Recognize Democratic Noms and the Demographic Ethos of Nri”, dated December 27, 2023, which he reposted recently, Mr. Chukwuemeka Onyesoh proved to the agnostics of his moronic synchysis that his thinking faculty frequently works in a reverse gear.
Just yesterday, November 29, 2024, the same Chukwuemeka Onyesoh sent a private note to me through email titled: “Nwaezeigwe & Hagiography”, which further exposed his retrogressive state of intellectual morosis. In both cases Chukwuemeka Onyesoh proved that he neither understands the distinction between fictitious folklore on which Agukwu-Ugbene people base the account of their history nor the historicity of evidence guided by proven facts on which professional historians base their accounts of Nri history and by extension revelations of putrid forgeries by Agukwu-Ugbene people.
It further shows that Chukwuemeka Onyesoh does not even understand the genesis of the current conflict in Nri which he labors tenaciously with the despoiling intensity of a half-baked untutored local historian to defend through fabricated history of his Agukwu-Ugbene stranger-settlers of Nri.
His inconsistency in driving home his questionable accounts of Agukwu-Ugbene history is reminiscent of a peripatetic dancing madman flinging his tattered clothing with unconscious insane confidence along human pathway, unmindful of the throng of sane people watching him; otherwise, one would not have expected Chukwuemeka Onyesoh to talk of amendment of the constitution of the defunct Nri Progress Union (NPU.
If Chukwuemeka Onyesoh is not aware, let me inform him that the last meeting of Nri Progress Union involving the Akamkpisi-Nri and Agukwu-Ugbene took place on January 22, 1988 under Chief D.C. Nwosu as President-General. And the reason for the abandonment of Nri Progress Union by Akamkpisi-Nri was the refusal of Agukwu-Ugbene people who controlled the Union to deliberate on the issue of the disputed Eze-Nri throne, following their unilateral selection of Obidiegwu Onyesoh against the mutual agreement to redefine the succession procedure after the demise of Nri Jiofo II Tabansi Udene.
This is the root of the current problem in Nri which no forgery or fabrication of Nri history in particular and Igbo history in general by Agukwu-Ugbene will ever resolve. As a professional historian whose professional ethos is founded on the biblical injunction of John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”, I am commissioned to state the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth, about Nri history, no matter whose ox is gored.
So, if Chukwuemeka Onyesoh is talking of amendment of the constitution of Nri Progress Union (NPU), he might have spoken from the subconscious state of historical trance. It is a truism that what followed thereafter following the exit of Akamkpisi-Nri from Nri Progress Union were the eventual formation of Nri Town Union by Agukwu-Ugbene and the subsequent break-up of the age-long Akamkpisi Ka Ana Dinma Union (A.K.U) into Akamkpisi Development Union (ADU) by Ekwenanyika and Uruofolo Villages and, Diodo Patriotic Union (DPU) by Diodo Village.
This exit of Akamkpisi-Nri from Nri Progress union equally led to the ban of all forms of traditional association with Agukwu-Ugbene people by the entire Akamkpisi-Nri, a ban that still holds today. So, one does not understand the Nri Progress Union Chukwuemeka Onyesoh was talking about. Thus, Chukwuemeka Onyesoh might talk about the Constitution of Agukwu-Ugbene Town Union which is currently nicknamed Nri Town Union, and not Nri Progress Union, which died on January 22, 1988 and was buried the same day. It is therefore necessary to take Chukwuemeka Onyesoh on a historical promenade of the genesis of the current crisis for posterity to judge between Akamkpisi-Nri and Agukwu-Ugbene who are on the path of historical truth.
It should be recalled that throughout British Colonial era and the first Republic, Eze-Nri Jiofo II Tabansi Udene was never a government-recognized traditional ruler. The reason was that he had neither executive nor legislative traditional powers like such kings as the Obi of Onitsha or Obi of Aboh, since the Adama-Umudiana were the people customarily and traditionally saddled with every function and activity associated with the office of the Eze-Nri.
This position should have changed when the Eastern Region House of Assembly established the House of Chiefs in 1958, but unfortunately was thwarted by a combination of Enugwu-Ukwu, Nawfia and Enugwu-Agidi when the Eastern Region Government constituted the four towns into Umunri Clan and mandated them to elect a Clan Head for the Eastern House of Chiefs.
The election which was supervised by the Administrative Officer of Awka Division Mr. Chike Okonyia included Chief Onyesoh representing Nri, Chief S. N. C. Okeke representing Nawfia, Chief N. C. Okam representing Enugwu-Agidi, and Chief Osita Agwuna representing Enugwu-Ukwu. In the course of the election, Nawfia and Enugwu-Agidi teamed up with Enugwu-Ukwu against Nri and subsequently elected Osita Agwuna as the Clan Head of Umunri; hence his title Eze Enugwu-Ukwu and Igwe Umunri Clan. This arrangement however ended with the 1966 crisis, even though Igwe Osita Agwuna retained the title, Igwe Umunri till his demise.
In 1976, the then Anambra State Government led by Brigadier John Atom Kpera promulgated Edict No. 8 of 1976on the reconstitution and recognition of traditional ruling system, with certain conditions laid out for communities to meet. Part of the Edict reads:
“Subject to the provisions of section 6 of this Edict, where on the date of coming into force of this Edict, there is in a town or community a person who is the chief of the town or community, such community may, at any time thereafter and in accordance with the provisions of this Edict, present such a chief to the Military Governor for the purpose of his being recognized by the Military Governor as the chief of the town or community.”
The Edict further instructed those communities without traditional rulers to elect new ones. Mischievously, the Agukwu-Ugbene people then fully in control of the administrative machinery of Nri town decided to hide the information from their Akamkpisi-Nri people. They subsequently proceeded to draft a “Code of Conduct”, a form of traditional constitutional declaration on succession to stool of Eze-Nri on behalf of the entire Nri community without the involvement of the Akamkpisi-Nri people, which they submitted to Anambra State Government on July 10, 1976.
Unfortunately for Agukwu-Ugbene people, Akamkpisi-Nri heard about the document by chance and subsequently resolved to use the opportunity to reclaim the centuries-long Agukwu-Ugbene usurpation of the Eze-Stool. The Akamkpisi-Nri people after carefully analyzing the situation, vis-à-vis their original claim to Eze-Nri stool and its leadership role in the modern dispensation resolved to press for a rotational principle of the kinship after Nri Jiofo II Tabansi Udene, then the reigning Eze-Nri, and requested for the immediate withdrawal the already submitted “Code of Conduct” constitutional document from Anambra State Government.
Indeed, this was what happened in the case of the neighboring town of Adazi-Nnukwu where the people decided to apply the same rotational principle in respect of the Adama Kingship which was once held by Ogbuefi Ezinne Orjiako family. This explains why the Adama of Adazi-Nnukwu moved from Igwe Ezinne Ojiako royal family to Nnukwu Quarters where it resides currently. But to the people of Agukwu-Ugbene in their arrogance even as stranger-elements among the Nri, this was totally unacceptable to them.
The first action of Akamkpisi-Nri people was to request for a meeting of the Oru Nze na Ino the twenty- four Member Council of Titled Elders that acted as the highest decision-making body in Nri town in conjunction with Nri Progress Union (NPU) Executive Committee to deliberate on the issue. The result of the meeting was the appointment of a twelve-man committee to look into the matter. On August 10, 1976, the joint-meeting of Oru Nze na Ino and Nri Progress Union Executives sat at the Palace of the Eze-Nri to deliberate on the findings of the Committee. The Agukwu-Ugbene insisted on not withdrawing the clandestine document from Anambra State Government.
For the Akamkpisi-Nri representatives however, it was either the document was withdrawn for proper revision or there will be no settlement. The deadlock finally gave way to a compromise which saw the matter being referred to the General Assembly of Nri Progress Union for further deliberation. To Agukwu-Ugbene therefore, that appeared better, since as they virtually controlled the executive instrument of the Union as against the Twelve-man Committee and the Oru Nze na Ino which were based on equal representations. Moreover, as the meeting would be held at Agukwu-Ugbene they would enjoy the home advantage of mobilizing more people than Akamkpisi-Nri who had to trek considerable long distance to the meeting.
The warning signal first reached the people of Akamkpisi-Nri when they waited for a long time without the sign of any General Meeting being summoned by the Agukwu-Ugbene-born President-General Mr. O.M. Obiegbune or his kinsman General Secretary on behalf of Nri Progress Union as recommended earlier by the joint meeting. Consequently, on August 12 1976, the Akamkpisi-Nri in a letter jointly signed by Chiefs Obiora Ezealibu on behalf of Uruofolo Village, B.C. Moneke for Ekwenanyika Village, Alexander Enujugha for Diodo Village and, D.O. Ifezue for Akamkpisi ka ana Dinma Union (AKU), called on both the President-General of Nri Progress Union and Nri Jiofo II Tabansi Udene through his most prominent and domineering son and later the questionable Regent, Reuben Nwofor Tabansi, to summon a general meeting of the Nri Progress Union as requested previously to discuss the “Code of Conduct.”
On August 25, 1976, thirteen days later, Akamkpisi-Nri again in another letter, signed by the same persons except B.C. Moneke, who was replaced by Samuel U. Okafor, warned the Agukwu-Ugbene to, within four days withdraw all documents submitted to the Anambra State Government in connection with Eze-Nri Kingship for proper study and review or face the consequences. This letter which was again addressed to the same persons as in the former reads as follows:
“We the entire people of Ifite, a section of Nri Town hereby ask for the withdrawal of the chieftaincy forms filled and the documents of 10/7/76 already submitted to the Government of Anambra State for review and public study. To our knowledge the forms and documents were tendered without any consultation to the Ifite people. We hereby state that if the original forms and documents were not shown to us on or before Sunday, the 29th August, 1976, we will be forced to fight for our right. We must re-affirm that we don’t want anything that will call for disunity in Nri.”
With no response still coming from Agukwu-Ugbene, on September 1, 1976, Akamkpisi-Nri through their lawyer Dr. Ejike Umeh, SAN, addressed a petition to the Senior Divisional Officer in-charge of Njikoka Local Government Council, informing him of the emerging crisis in respect of Eze-Nri succession dispute. The Divisional Officer consequently replied, appealing for restraint and promising to look into the matter.
When the petition got to the knowledge of Agukwu-Ugbene, they at once summoned a General meeting of Nri Progress Union to discuss how they could compel Akamkpisi-Nri to compromise their position. The result of this meeting held on September 5, 1976 was the convening of a high-powered executive meeting of Nri Progress Union (NPU) by the Agukwu-born President-General Mr. O.M. Obiegbune on September 10, 1976, an action long requested by Akamkpisi-Nri.
During the said executive meeting both factions discussed for the first time since the inception of the crisis in a seemingly relaxed atmosphere. Although, there was no clear-cut head-way on resolving the deadlock, they unanimously agreed that the issue should better be addressed before a much wider forum—the General Meeting of Nri Progress Union (NPU).
Since the General Meeting of Nri Progress Union involved every male citizen of Akamkpisi-Nri felt that the matter would be adequately dealt with there. With the meeting slated for September 18, 1976, precisely ten days later, both sides went home to formalize their strategies.
On September 18, 1976 at about 3 p.m., the expected General Meeting of Nri Progress Union was declared open after an opening prayer by Mr. D.O. Oraeki. The Akamkpisi-Nri had entered the meeting with confidence expecting reason to determine its outcome. However, as the power behind the executive organ of Nri Progress Union, the Agukwu-Ugbene had designed a master-plan to determine the course of the meeting to their sectional end.
The first action by the Agukwu-Ugbene-born President-General, Mr. O.M. Obiegbune was to use his veto power to remove any deliberation on the kingship dispute. The nearest he got to the issue was after the adoption of the previous minutes, when, in a classical Catholic catholicon fashion he asked the general house if the present kingship was in dispute, and in like fashion, the Agukwu-dominated house echoed “no”. That was all about the fundamental matter that prompted the summoning of the meeting.
Further in his consummate mischievous arrogance, the President-General called for the adoption of the same document labeled “code of conduct” on Nri kingship submitted to the State Government and which was the subject of the dispute and main reason for summoning the meeting with ignominious disregard to the presence of Akamkpisi-Nri in the same meeting. Consequently, Barrister L.C. Ezebilo from Agukwu-Ugbene moved a motion for the adoption of the “code of conduct.”
Mr. D.O. Ifezue from Akamkpisi-Nri protested vehemently against the motion, urging the house that the matter of future succession to the kingship should be treated first before the adoption of any document about the matter. Mr. Ifezue was quickly countered by Mr. P.I. Okeke from Agukwu-Ugbene who, with the support of the President-General argued that the matter on the ground was the “Code of conduct” and not any other subject matter, since Nri town already had standing traditional system of selecting a new Eze-Nri. With his kinsmen fully in control of the proceedings, his submission was subsequently upheld by what is better described as the “oppressive majority.”
Since Mr. Ezebilo, in moving the motion was seconded by Mr. C. Oranu, another Agukwu-Ugbene man, the President-General subsequently called for the division of the house. However, to Akamkpisi-Nri, the call for voting on the matter and the whole process that brought about it simply meant imposition of democratic dictatorship by Agukwu-Ugbene since they were in control of the majority of the people present. Consequently, an alternative action became their next motive.
With the dangers of the emerging scenario vividly laid bare before Akamkpisi-Nri; as the house prepared to vote on the matter, Mr. B.I.O. Odinanwa from Akamkpisi-Nri and Vice President of Nri Progress Union, rose immediately and threatened to walk-out with his people unless the main issue that caused the convening of the meeting, which was determining the future succession to Nri kingship was first discussed. The Agukwu-Ugbene-dominated house rebuffed his seemingly empty threat and proceeded to vote. Consequently, Mr. Odinanwa led a walk-out of the Akamkpisi-Nri from that General meeting of Nri Progress Union.
With the walk-out, the struggle for the kingship entered another phase. However, the meeting continued without Akamkpisi-Nri and concluded at about 5 p.m., with Agukwu-Ugbene unilaterally dishing out the following resolutions:
“That whereas the present king has not been in dispute; reference to (a) past records, (b) minutes of the meeting summoned by the ex-chairman of Nri community council on 4/7/76, (c) minutes of general conference held on 5/9/76, (d) minutes of selected committee held on 10/9/76, (e) minutes of Emergency General meeting of 18/9/76. That whereas the present king Tabansi Udene, Nri Jiofo II has been reigning since the past 38 years; we the entire Nri sons re-affirmed our unalloyed confidence on him.”
To be continued.
Odogwu Nwankwo Tony Nwaezeigwe, Odogwu of Ibusa is the President, International Coalition against Christian Genocide in Nigeria and Pioneer Director, Centre for Igbo Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He can be reached on Email: Nwaezeigwe.genocideafrica@gmail.com
