Tension Mounts in Enugu Community Over Traditional Ruler Selection, Alleged Ministry Directive

Tension is mounting in Ozom Mgbagbu Owa Autonomous Community, Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, over an alleged attempt to alter the process for selecting the community’s next traditional ruler.

The traditional stool has remained vacant since the death of Igwe Raymond Oguji, with indigenes now preparing for an election scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2026.

The process has, however, been thrown into confusion following a purported directive allegedly communicated by the community’s President-General, Ozo Ikechukwu Ike, through a voice note shared on the community’s WhatsApp platform.

In the voice note, the President-General reportedly claimed that only candidates from Umuagba would be eligible to contest the election, saying he was acting on an alleged instruction from the Director of Chieftaincy Affairs in the Enugu State Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Alex Ngene.

The claim has triggered concern among some indigenes, who argue that the alleged directive conflicts with the community’s constitution. They said the issue could worsen tensions if not clarified before the October 10 election.

The controversy comes days after community members reportedly met with the Enugu State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Barrister C.C. Egumgbe, at the ministry. A video from the meeting showed the commissioner addressing members of the community and stating that Ezedume Council Ward was next in line to produce the traditional ruler.

According to the community’s constitution, succession to the Igwe stool rotates among the 10 council wards based on seniority. Since the late Igwe Oguji came from the eighth ward, Ezedume, the ninth ward, is expected to produce the next Igwe.

The constitution further provides that the ward whose turn it is should conduct an open contest among its eligible candidates and submit two candidates to a selection panel, which will choose one for presentation to the General Assembly for ratification.

An indigene who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity described the alleged counter-directive as a potential source of conflict, insisting that the government should clarify the matter before the election.

“We don’t believe that the government, as represented by the commissioner, will want to set our community on fire,” the indigene said.

The resident called on Commissioner Egumgbe to publicly clarify whether the alleged directive restricting eligibility to Umuagba came from his ministry, urging authorities to ensure that the community’s constitution is followed.

The community member also accused unnamed individuals of attempting to use the name of government officials to influence the chieftaincy process and urged the Enugu State Government to intervene quickly to prevent the dispute from escalating ahead of the October 10 election.