Women, youths and the elderly people of Ndiowu community in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State numbering over 400, on Monday, besieged the Anambra State Government House, Awka, in protest over what they described as the fraudulent and unconstitutional selection of a traditional ruler for the community.
The protesters, who bore placards with various inscriptions such as “The stool of Ezediohamma Ndiowu is not for sale,” “Respect our right to choose,” “No to imposed election,” “Commissioner’s coup: respect our constitution,” “Women must vote, men must vote, youths must vote,” and “Soludo Solution, come and save our Eze stool,” stormed the gate of the Light House, demanding audience with the governor.
They accused the Anambra State Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Town Union Affairs, TonyCollins Nwabunwanne of circumventing the community’s constitution, and thwarting the collective will of the Ndiowu people in the entire process.
The protesters vehemently opposed the alleged selection of a United States–based businessman, Mr. Chibuzor Okeke-Ifi, as the traditional ruler of Ndiowu, describing the process as imposed, illegal, and contrary to the Ndiowu Town Union Constitution.
Insisting that the process followed by the Commissioner was unconstitutional and cannot produce a legitimate Igwe for the community, the people called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene urgently, to restore constitutional order in the community’s traditional institution.
According to them, the governor’s intervention is needed to avert a breakdown of peace in the community.
They demanded the conduct of a transparent, free, fair, and credible kingship election in line with the 2024 Ndiowu Constitution as amended and approved by the Anambra State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Town Union Matters.
According to them, the constitution clearly stipulates that candidates for the Ezediohamma stool must come from Ufere village, which is constitutionally designated to produce the next monarch.
Speaking during the protest, the people drawn from the four villages constitutionally entitled to present candidates for the throne, insisted that they would not accept the emergence of Mr. Okeke-Ifi, who they said hails from Umudiabor village and is therefore ineligible.
The spokesperson for the protesters, Chief Uchenna Iloh, said the alleged selection violated the unanimous decision of Ndiowu stakeholders that the Kingship election should be held during the forthcoming Easter period, which traditionally serves as the next general meeting when most indigenes would be present.
“We want to alert our governor that the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Collins Nwabunwanne, is trying to subvert the collective will of the community by excluding women, who constitute the majority of voters, from the process and by adopting a secret ballot system instead of the Option A4 method expressly provided for in the community’s constitution.
“The election conducted on January 12, 2026, fell short of traditional norms and constitutional provisions governing the selection of a traditional ruler in Ndiowu.
“Only four candidates, all from Ufere quarter, are constitutionally qualified to contest for the Ezediohamma stool following the demise of the late monarch.
“The eligible candidates are Chief Nwankwo Godwin Ugochukwu, Dr. Onyeka Kanu, Mazi Onyeka Ekwueme, and Mr. Obumneme Okeke,” he said.
Chief Iloh alleged that instead of respecting this resolution, the Commissioner for Local Government and the Chairman of Orumba North Local Government Area conspired to deploy heavily armed security operatives to impose Mr. Okeke-Ifi as the traditional ruler.
Chief Iloh, who is also the Chairman of the Ndiowu Four Traditional Quarters, said: “We are here today as Ndiowu community to protest the injustice meted out to us by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Chairman of Orumba North Local Government. We are particularly protesting the discrimination against Ndiowu women, whose constitutional right to vote was denied.
“We are peaceful people and we do not want violence in Ndiowu. That is why we came to Government House. Women have always voted in Ndiowu elections. It is unacceptable for the commissioner to suddenly say women should not vote or to introduce secret ballot instead of Option A4, which our constitution provides.”
He added that the same commissioner approved the Ndiowu Constitution in 2024 and questioned why it was being set aside.
“We are begging the governor to come to our aid and ensure a free and fair Ezeship election conducted strictly in accordance with our constitution,” he said.
For her part, the Vice Women Leader of Ndiowu community, Mrs Virginia Orji also rejected the process that produced the purported Eze-elect, describing it as fraudulent and unacceptable.
According to her, women have always played an active role in electing traditional rulers and President-Generals in Ndiowu.
“We want the governor to intervene and order a proper election. Women must vote, as they have done from time immemorial. There is no valid election that produced the so-called Eze-elect of Ndiowu,” she said.
She stressed that any Ezeship election must strictly follow the Ndiowu Constitution and not the whims or caprices of any individual.
Responding to the protesters, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solomon Chukwulobe, assured them that the state government would prioritize peace and fairness in resolving the matter.
“All we want is a peaceful process that will allow the right candidate to emerge so that peace can reign in the community,” he said.
He added that the government would listen to all parties involved before taking an informed decision.
He noted that similar disputes had occurred in the past and were resolved through dialogue, stressing that the government would act in the best interest of Ndiowu community.
