For the past 17 years, it has been a kind of graveyard
silence for the three warring factions contending the title of
Eze Ndigbo of Oyo State when the Igbo Community
Development Association ‘crowned’ Dr. Alex Anozie. The
three factions were led by Dr. Alex Anozie, Chief James
Nduka Oramadike and Chief Alloy Obi.
Each of them had been laying claim to the title and this has
led to serious legal battles. Though, the battle for
recognition subsided shortly before the 2015 general
election as the factions came together to drum up support
for the former president at Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, all
parties later withdrew into their nests, sharpened their
swords and dusted their armour for fresh crisis. Of the
three, Dr. Anozie has been brandishing a court judgment
by Justice Mashud Abbas of Oyo State High Court on
February 18, 2014 which recognised him as the rightful
holder of the title. The court declared that Anozie is the
subsisting Eze Ndigbo of Ibadanland and Oyo State, having
been democratically elected and sworn-in into office by the
Igbo Community Development Association in 1997 on the
authority of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in 2000.
As he approached the state High Court, he sought a
declaration that all steps taken by Chief Alloy Obi and his
group who were claiming the title of Onyendu Ndigbo were
contrary to Igbo customs and tradition, and the
constitution of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and thereby null and
void, and thereby sought an order of the court setting
aside all acts and steps by the defendants towards
selection and proposed installation of Chief Obi as the
Onyendu Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State. In 2009, the
crisis reached the crescendo as those who were
sympathetic to Chief Obi allegedly came together and
claimed to have removed Anozie. The claimant also sought
an injunction restraining the defendants whether by
themselves, their servants or agents, from installing Obi as
Onyendu, and an order of injunction restraining Chief Obi
from pronouncing or parading himself as the Onyendu
Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo State.
However, after listening to the facts and circumstances of
the case as presented by counsel to both concerned
parties, the court identified some issues for determination.
The third issue identified for determination was whether
Eze Anozie having been removed as the Eze ndigbo of
Ibadan and Oyo State in 2009 had the right to challenge
the election and inauguration of Chief Obi as the Onyendu
of Ibadan and Oyo State. All these issues were, however,
resolved by the court in favour of Anozie, after which the
judge went ahead to grant the relief sought by the
claimant. While granting the prayers of the claimant, the
court ruled that there could only be one Onyendu Ndigbo
for one community, and that the claimant is the one for
Oyo, having been duly so proclaimed by the Igbo
community in Oyo State in a communiqué issued on
September 30, 2000.
The court also declared that all acts and steps taken
towards the selection of Chief Obi were contrary to the
Igbo customs and tradition and the constitution of
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and therefore granted an order setting
aside all the steps and acts which led to Obi’s purported
selection as the Onyendu. Finally, the court granted an
injunction restraining the defendants, whether by
themselves, their agents or servants from installing Obi as
Onyendu of Ibadan and Oyo State, and the one restraining
Obi from parading himself as such.
While speaking with Vanguard yesterday in a telephone
interview, Dr. Anozie said as far as he is concerned, since
the court has ordered the other groups to desist from
parading themselves, anybody promoting them to flout the
court judgment is not a friend of the country.
“Anybody I am referring to could be radio, television,
government and even me. I learnt that the other side has
appealed the judgment of the State High Court, they
should wait for the outcome of the appeal. It should also
be noted that when you appeal a judgment of a lower
court, it doesn’t mean the judgment no longer subsists. It
subsists until the appellate court says otherwise. The truth
is bitter but it is good to tell the truth. Both of us in the
crisis presented our evidences before the court and the
court having weighed the evidences and pronounced me
as the holder of the title,” he said.
As Anozie is slugging it out with his opponents in the state,
the national leadership is also giving him grey hair.
Recently, his camp accused Ohaneze national leadership of
instigating crisis in the state. It called the attention of the
national body to the fact that the court “ordered everything
about the Igbo General Assembly (IGA), including their
acts, steps taken by the group and the South-East
Traditional Rulers null and void, and restrained Chief Aloy
Obi from parading himself as the Onyendu Ndigbo of
Ibadan and Oyo state.”. His group alleged that the recent
visit by “one person who called himself the Deputy
President of the Ohaneze Worldwide, by name Ogochukwu
Onyema”, who allegedly said something that eroded the
court ruling, and claimed to have spoken on behalf of the
Ohaneze national body.
“If it is true that they are the ones who sent one
Ogochukwu Onyema to Ibadan on 15th of August, 2015, to
come and say all what he had said, then they need to take
caution . We are responsible peace-loving citizens of
Nigeria who so much believe in the rule of law, and that is
why we tolerated so many provocations since many years
now, and we have continued to allow the judiciary to help
us sort things out peacefully. Oyo state is peaceful and we
want it to remain peaceful”.
“We are aware of the antics of the very person who
has been the brain behind all these problems since all
these years; he would want to drag everybody that
matters into this controversy, including the South-East
Traditional Rulers and Ohaneze national body, whom
we expected to play a justified fatherly role in this
issue.”, they said.
Vanguard learnt that the judgment of the High Court has
been appealed and pending the determination of the suit,
the last has not been heard about the crisis.
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