By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM

The Abia Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Uzor Nwachukwu, has said that Abia government does not have any interest in the ‘Eze Aro’ traditional stool of Arochukwu Kingdom.

Nwachukwu disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing while reacting to the tussle over the”Eze Aro” traditional stool of Arochukwu Kingdom in Arochukwu Local Government Area, Umuahia.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the “Eze Aro” traditional stool has been vacant since the demise of the last “Eze Aro”, Eze Ogbonnaya Okoronkwo, in 2020.

NAN further reports that efforts made to produce a new “Eze Aro” had not been fruitful because of the ‘battle’ between Mr Idei Kanu and Mr Eberechukwu Oji on who would become the new “Eze Aro”.

The commissioner urged the public to disregard any insinuation that Gov. Alex Otti had a preferred candidate in the current “Eze Aro” tussle.

“His Excellency, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, does not have any interest in who emerges as “Eze Aro”.

“Gov. Alex Otti is only trying to ensure that the people obey the laws they instituted by themselves,” Nwachukwu said.

He said that the key interest of the government remains to ensure peaceful and harmonious coexistence in all the communities in the state.

Nwachukwu said that the people of Arochukwu had laid down rules and laws on how to select the person that would become the “Eze Aro”.

He said that the rules and laws were enacted by the people without input from the government, and added that they submitted it to the government as part of their laws that govern their community.

He said that contrary to the news making the rounds on social media, the government was trying to make the parties involved in the tussle to follow the community’s guidelines on selection of the new “Eze Aro”.

Nwachukwu said that the government had made several efforts to get the warring parties to reach a peaceful settlement of the matter.

“His Excellency called these people, said, okay look, why don’t you sit down and resolve your issues?

“The two people came together and they were unable to resolve their issues.

“They went back and fixed different dates for coronation – one fixed his own on 24th the other on 26th and the state government said both of you cannot go ahead,” he said.

He said that It was an indication that the governor had no interest in whoever would emerge as the “Eze Aro”.

Nwachukwu further said that he wrote a letter to the Police to prevent the two individuals involved from performing any form of coronation, adding that unfortunately one of them still went ahead and had his coronation done in secret.

He said that In order for an individual to become the “Eze Aro” that individual must emerge from any of the families that should produce the candidate for the position.

“There are two families in contention in this instance, and once the king makers screen those who have presented themselves, whoever they choose, they now present to the ‘Eze Ibom Isii’ whose duty is to do the crowning.

“The duty of the “Eze Ibom Isii” is to do the crowning, his duty is not to choose.

“Now the committee, whose duty it is to do the selection, finished with their selection and they had a candidate but the candidate they produced was not the one that the Eze Ibom Isii chose to crown.

“So at the time that the “Eze Ibom Isii” chose another candidate as against the people, whose traditional authority was to produce a candidate, they raised alarm and wrote a petition to the state government,” Nwachukwu said.

He said that the government had earlier asked the “Eze Ibom Isii” to rescind his decision and when he failed to do so, the state government suspended him for breaking the laws guiding the installment of “Eze Aro”.

Nwachukwu also said that the government had set up an administrative panel of inquiry to look into the matter.

He further said that the panel had concluded its assignment and submitted its report, adding that the report would be studied in order for government to produce a white paper on the matter. (NAN)

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