Laguru Kingship Crisis: Chief Ngadi Appeals For Govt Intervention
2 years ago 4 min read
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The Eze-Elect of Laguru Autonomous Community in Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, Chief Brown Ngadi, has called on the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, to intervene in the kingship tussle that has engulfed the community for the past 11 years to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
Speaking during an interview at his country home in Ubakala, Chief Ngadi revealed that a High Court sitting in Umuahia had, in March 2023, ruled in his favor, recognizing him as the legitimate Eze of the community.
The court also directed Chief Amaechi Ucheaga to return the staff of office previously issued to him by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under the immediate past administration in the state.
Ngadi lamented the refusal of Chief Ucheaga and members of the Amato zone to obey the court order, accusing them of disregarding the community’s rotational kingship system.
He explained that according to their constitution, the throne rotates among the three zones, and it is currently the turn of the Umuerige zone, the second-in-command, to produce the Eze following the death of their former king in 2010.
“My community, after selecting, electing me, and carrying me to the local government for recognition, as the Eze-elect of Laguru Autonomous Community, this thing happened in the year 2013. The local government sent my paper to the Ministry of Chieftaincy.
“After some days, a group of people organized themselves and carried themselves to the same local government for recognition, knowing fully well that this area, we have constitutionality guiding us, the local government accepted them and still sent their papers to Chieftaincy.
“The Chieftaincy, instead of going through our constitution and selecting who it is entitled to, they stepped down on our papers and started to give community orders on what to do after one year.
“So they fueled the problem in the community because the community has been existing for a long time,” he said.
Chief Paul Ukomadu, the Traditional Prime Minister of Laguru Autonomous Community and Orie II of Umuorie village, expressed dissatisfaction over the prolonged leadership vacuum.
He accused the former palace secretary, now a claimant to the throne, of bypassing the rightful rotational order.
According to Ukomadu, efforts to mediate the situation, including offering the claimant a temporary Prime Ministerial role, was rejected, leading to further unrest.
“The people who took him to local government are the black legs in the Laguru Autonomous Community,” Ukomadu said, blaming corrupt politicians for fueling the crisis.
“What we wanted the government to do is to give him a staff of office so that we will have peace in the Laguru Autonomous Community because as a traditional prime minister, I can only judge the case of a village head on my own level. For now, all the cases that are supposed to go to the Eze’s palace are pending.
“I want the people to help us tell the governor to give the rightful person the staff of office so that we will have peace. And then every other thing will go according to Igbo adage,” he added.
The President-General of Laguru Autonomous Community, Hon. Andrew Ogbonna, also expressed concern over the crisis, noting that the absence of leadership has disrupted the community’s peace and progress.
He stated that no meaningful development has taken place due to the disunity caused by the kingship tussle.
“So we are calling on the state government. Based on the fact that he has not been given a stay of execution, they should go ahead and obey the Umuahia High Court order.
“Give him the staff of office and withdraw that one from Amaechi. Pending, if he likes it, he can go to appeal after. If he wins the appeal, they will withdraw the staff from this one, give it to him. It’s very simple. Because as it stands now, Laguru can never come together.
“Unless the government wants Laguru to be like this, all this time. No development, nothing is going on. You cannot invite the community, the whole community to turn and march,” Ogbonna said.
He said they had written to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs on several occasions but they said they are handicapped because the matter was in Court.
