Iyase title tussle: Delta State govt is a fraud---- community leader

 By Emeka Ibemere

For Professor and a king-maker in Agidiahe Quarters, Chief Nwajei Chuks Nwajei, Agumba and Akaji Obi of Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State is one man who you cannot be faulted when it comes to traditional issues in Nigeria. He believes in the judicial process and has been fighting his case through the court despite the frustrations from the judiciary. In this interview with Emeka Ibemere, he

explained that Delta State government has committed contempt of court by the state’s alleged gazetted title to another person who wasn’t the authentic owner of the title that is in dispute, despite the Appeal Court ruling against it.

What is the title of Iyase all about?

Iyase is the traditional Prime minister. The authentic Iyase of Ogwashi ukwu is Chief Nwaukoni Chukwuka, of Migro Group of Companies.  What happened was that Migro MD been the Iyase, was the boss of Collins Afuwah, a personal Assistant to Iyase. We all came from the same community, so Migro was the Iyase of Ogwashi Ukwu but because of the crookedness of certain persons, he went come with the money of Chief Nwaukoni and made himself the sectional head of Iyase of Agidiase Quarters, he was not performing ,  he came to Ogwashi Uku and with little know-how, I made him the jury of Iyase of Ogwashi-Uku, but when I went home, the lawyers started calling me, and showed me the Nigeria law report whereby it was reported that Chief Nwaukoni was the authentic Iyase of Ogwashi-ukwu and not Collins Afuwah.

Delta State government seems to have confirmed the title of Iyase of Ogwashi Uku to Chief Collins Afuwah, following the recent alleged gazetted piece of information in some media by the state government. As one of kingmakers in Ogwashi Uku, what are your remarks?

Honestly, every right thinking individual in Ogwashi Uku knows that it’s an error in totality. If they had gazetted the Iyaseship as a title chief in Ogwashi Uku which has been there from the time immemorial, that would have been an accepted thing.

 But you don’t gazette one man and give him position; its just political misadventure and thirdly, Ogwashi Uku people and residents are saddened by the PDP misadventure in Delta State and Ogwashi Uku in particular. We are so aggrieved that Professor Okonjo Iweala and his daughter are using the chieftaincy stool of Ogwashi Uku for political reasons best known to them.

How Delta State ministry of Chieftaincy affairs did recognised Chief Afuwah the title when you are saying he wasn’t the owner of the title.

Chief Collins Afuwah cannot be the Iyase of Ogwashi Uku and if what we have in Delta State is truly government of the people, and by law they knew that the authentic Iyase of Ogwashi Uku is Chief Nwaukone, who the law supported in an Appeal Court Judgement, that he is the authentic Iyase of Ogwashi Uku. so its just a kind of thought of a government that believes in the rule of law to go through the window without discharging the Appeal Court judgement, and even the Supreme Court has not made any pronouncement on that judgement or sort a relieve to say well we are now had a superior argument, to go and say they are gazetting.

It shows the lawlessness of the government of Delta State and it’s not only the fault of Delta State, it’s the impunity of the PDP central government. Remember that I said that the current Obi was giving an injunction not to be enthroned as Obi of Ogwashi Uku and he was crowned early in the morning by 3Am, and the same Delta State government gave him Staff of Office by 4am, breaching all the known laws and norms of our society, so the same thing is now happening. The Okonjo and the PDP are the ones doing all these things.

 So, if he is claiming that he has been gazetted, it’s a nullity in the eyes of every right thinking Ogwashi Uku sons and daughters unless the media that they are using to sell the only matrimony we have in Ogwashi Uku, which is our land. He has finished selling our lands and I don’t know what he is going to sell again. Businessmen in Onitsha have bought 30% of our lands and Ogwashi Uku people don’t even have about 10% to farm, so it is misadventure by the Delta State government to give Chief Collins Afuwah the Iyase of Ogwashi Uku.

Can an Iyase be entitled to be an Obi in Ogwashi Uku?    

Never! You see the problem we are having in Ogwashi Uku is the problem of ancestral history. Our people don’t know how to interpret history. The law guiding the Obiship is that it must be from father to first son and if you don’t have first son; the most senior brother to the Obi becomes the Obi. So what we are having now in the new dispensation is that the Okonjo family has never being an Obi. If you read the Appeal Court judgement, their father has never being an Obi but because of their PDP connection, and money power they were able to manipulate their ways into becoming an Obi in Ogwashi Uku. One of the grounds where we won our case in Appeal Court was on the grounds that Okonjo father had never being an Obi, and our grouse in going to the Supreme court was that if you now agree that he has never being an Obi why did you agreed on an Appeal court. So the Iyaseship of Ogwashi Uku is a kind of rotational affairs, this family, that family. In Agidiase where my mother comes from, I’m a 50% Agidiase person; this person takes the next person takes. I’m not entitled for Obi or Iyase; I’m a king-maker.

Now that Delta State government has allegedly confirmed Chief Uche Collins Afuwah, the title of Iyase, have you people investigated the matter to know whether if it’s true.  

This news just broke to us and we just received the information and immediately we heard it a lot of people were troubled and agitated. They were calling me even from abroad and I then called the original owner of the title, Chief Nwaukoni who was affirmed by the Appeal Court ruling that is why we are now talking.

There is no governor or President that can thwart the law. If a court made a pronouncement, the president or governor is abide by that pronouncement, therefore the Delta State government had not abided by that pronouncement of the Appeal Court judgement and if they hadn’t and went ahead to gazetted Iyase title to Collins, then its contempt of court, criminal and fraud by the state. Only one man from one family congratulated him if the thing was right and proper, it’s the entire Agidiase and Ogwashi Uku will do that.

So what are you people doing to that effect   

We are investigating the claim and the purported Delta State gazette but we know that there is no sane government that can set aside the pronouncement of the court and go ahead to give somebody a title that court said contrary. So I’m saying as a person, that the so-called gazette is a fraud because no government can say the ruling of the court cannot hold.

What is the way forward?

The way forward is that you cannot have two chiefs in one kingdom. The authentic Iyase is chief Nwaukoni known by the 99% generality of Ogwashi Uku and affirmed by the Appeal Court and these imposters who are now using the media with some corrupt policemen and politicians to crown themselves into power cannot hold and they are trying to cause anarchy in Ogwashi Uku kingdom.