By Ozo Ray
Umueri communinty in Anambra East LGA has resolved its town union leadership squabble following the intervention of the Anambra State Government through the signing of a peace accord between the traditional ruler of the community, His Royal Majesty Igwe Sir Ben Izuchukwu Emeka, and the President-General of the town union, Chief Pius Ejimofor Okonkwo.
It will be recalled that the town union had been enmeshed in leadership crisis over issues of alleged financial impropriety, arbitrariness, as well as irresponsiveness and irresponsibility on the part of the President-General which led to an impeachment attempt on him on 27th April, 2019; a development that triggered the crisis.
Our reporter who was at the reconciliatory meeting yesterday at the Umueri Civic Centre, gathered that the meeting ushered in an era of peace and tranquility in the community and in the town union in particular as Igwe Emeka successfully waded into the matter.
The traditional ruler said they held a meeting that ushered in peace in Umueri, recalling that for three months Umueri had been in the news for both positive and negative things, but that those had been laid to rest, with the President-General of the community, Chief Okonkwo, being reinstated and given back the mantle of leadership of Umueri Town Union.
‘You know that precisely on the 27th of April, 2019, there was a purported impeachment which tried to tear the community apart, but through the Grace of God and government’s intervention, we have been able to have an understanding and we wrote a memo which we signed. That memo is what we gave the people of Umueri at the civic centre.
‘So there is no more squabble in the leadership. Peace has returned to Umueri Community and we give God the glory,’ Igwe Emeka said, even as he advised the President-General to summon a general meeting of the entire community to discuss the way forward, following the return of peace.
He expressed the hope that now that the PG been reinstated, it was expected that he would function alongside the traditional ruler and the Igwe-in-Council of Umueri kingdom.
An indigenous Anglican priest of the community Ven. Shalom Ginika, who attended the reconciliatory meeting, offered prayers and thanksgiving to God for the peace that had returned to his community, noting that when the leadership rancour began, as spiritual fathers of Umueri, they had offered prayers for the peaceful resolution of the crisis. He described the reconciliation as timely and a welcome development.
The Anglican priest who does his apostolic work in Abia State but hails from Umueri, expressed profound gratitude to God for His peaceful intervention, as well as the wisdom he bestowed on their royal father for the way and manner in which he handled the Umueri Town Union leadership matter.
Also an octogenarian, Chief Vincent Nwasi, the Obi of Umueri Kingdom, who is a native of Ezi-Umueri, while admitting that there was a problem in Umueri, however said the problem had come to an end with the resolution of the crisis due to the timely intervention of the traditional ruler.
The 87 year old man maintained that Igwe Emeka showed the community the way to the restoration of peace, noting that all the hullabaloo about power tussle ended with the reconciliatory meeting because he believed that the monarch was a man of impeccable character and self-sufficient.
He alleged that there was a move to pull the PG out of control because of his character but for the traditional ruler who intervened and put everything to an end with the reconciliatory meeting. He however charged the PG to strive to be accountable to the people.
High Chief Joseph Uzoma Onuigbo, who hails from Ikenga-Umueri, and a member of the Igwe’s cabinet, described the reconciliatory meeting as a veritable platform to implement the peace accord signed at the Government House, Awka, between the traditional ruler and the President General.
Onuigbo said if the contents of the peace accord were strictly adhered to, Umueri Town would accommodate all and sundry. He charged the PG and the traditional ruler to work hand together to move Umueri Town to the next level of progress, development and prosperity.
