By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The people of Ihite Community in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State have rejected Mr. Timothy Ifurunwa as their new king.

Ifurunwa was last weekend elected by a section of the community.

But some stakeholders in the community including the traditional council on Wednesday rejected the new king on the prompting of the President General, Mr George Madu.

According to a source, the community is currently polarized, with many members of the community rejecting the process that led to the selection of Ifurunwa as monarch.

In an effort to remedy the situation, the community’s traditional council has petitioned Anambra State governor, Prof Charles Soludo, urging him to intervene to avert crisis in the community and morso disregard the process that led to the selection of Ifurunwa

The petition signed by their lawyer, Barr N.I Onyeakpa, Chiefs Ahamkonye, Daniel Ifemkpa, Anudu Ephraim and Geoffrey Okeke, all members of the traditional council accused the President General of the community, George Madu of jettisoning the constitution of the community in the selection process to favour his candidate.

According to the petition, “Ihite town in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State lost their Traditional Ruler Igwe, B.O. Ofu in 2020.

“Under Ihite native law and custom, after two (2) years of transition to glory by the Royal father, there shall be a joint meeting of the Ihite traditional council and the town union wherein the two important bodies in the town will discuss on how a new king or traditional ruler of the town should be elected.

“According to Onyeakpa, the PG did not follow the guidelines of the constitution in the selection process.”

While urging Soludo not to issue a certificate of recognition to the newly elected monarch, he said that community that the PG could continue with a selection process, even when his authority to singlehandedly select a monarch and sidelining the traditional council of the community was still being determined by the court.

He added: “Our clients filed Suits in both customary court and Magistrate court challenging the purported dissolution of Ihite traditional council by the President General, and illegal process of selection, nomination and screening of a would-be traditional ruler of Ihite without reference to the traditional council of Ihite,” he stated.

Speaking to journalists, two members of the traditional council; Chief Geoffrey Okeke and Onowu Dominic Ahamkonye called on Prof Soludo to a nullify the entire process that brought in the new monarch.

In his reaction, the President General of the community, Mr George Madu, insisted that the process was right.

He said that there were only few disgruntled people in the community who were unhappy, insisting that the process was transparent.