Recently, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State deposed Eze Cletus Ilomuanya as the Obi of Obinugwu. In his stead, the governor installed Eze Stanley Simeon Nwangwu. Since then, controversies have trailed the action. In this interview, Eze Nwangwu stakes his right to the stool. The 78-year-old monarch also takes on Eze Ilomuanya, saying that the latter had single-handedly written the constitution of the Obinugwu and imposed it on the community to make himself the monarch. He spoke to GEORGE ONYEJIUWA in Owerri. Excerpts:
It has been alleged by people of Obinugwu that you are actually from Ndianiche in Arondizuogu and not from Obinugwu. So, where are actually from?
It is arrant nonsense for anybody to say that I am not from Obingwu, because to say that I am not from Obinugwu is to say that Obinugwu is not in existence, because without the head, there is no body. I was the traditional prime minister of Ihitte- Owerre before the creation of Obinugwu autonomous community. Nobody, including Cletus Ilomuanya, made any such statement. I am a bonafide native of Obinugwu and Cletus Ilomuanya knows that. Now, it will interest you to know that Cletus Ilomuanya is neither the first son of Edwin Ilomuanya nor was his father the first son of his grandfather; his village is also not the first village in Obinugwu community.
It may also interest you to know that Cletus Ilomuanya, who is saying that I am not from Obinugwu… now let me tell that his family were banished from Ihitte- Owerre years back for murder. Chekwuwa Ilomuanya killed this first son, Oduenyi known as Obiora, which was a sacrilege and so they banished his family and they were only allowed back after several interventions by good-hearted people in the community and the then Eze Ezerioha 11, had only consented to allow his family back to Obinugwu on the condition that any of their daughters born on Afor day must always be married off by the Eze himself.
So, it is surprising for Cletus Ilomuanya to say that I am not a true son of Obinugwu. His father, Edwin Ilomunaya, was the chairman of my “Red Cap” chieftaincy in 1981. Did his father say that I am not a son of Obinugwu?
Okay, if I am not a true son of Obinugwu, how did I become a foundation member of the cabinet of Eze Ezerioha 111? How did I become the traditional prime minister of Ihitte-Owerre? Now, I would like Cletus Ilomuanya to deny that he never sent Eze Okwuaka of Asaa to appeal to another Eze to convince me to become his traditional prime minister which I rejected and told his emissaries that my village is the first in Obinugwu and that if I accept to become his traditional prime minister that I would have sold the birthright of both my family and village and that the gods of the land would destroy my family for such betrayal. So, what he and his cohorts are saying is nothing but nonsense. Even the constitution he used to make himself Eze, was written by him and he only presented it to the community to sign. If Cletus Ilomuanya continues to cast aspersions on my person, then I will reveal to the world where his family comes from in Ideato.
Are you saying that Ilomuanya is not from obinugwu?
Going by the atrocity, which was committed by his family, they were no longer regarded as freeborn of Obinugwu. His grandfather died and was buried in Ideato. Ilomuanya cannot tell you that his placenta was buried in Obinugwu. Mine was buried on the land where I am presently living and that makes me a bonafide son of the land, according to Igbo tradition.
So, if you are a true son of the Obinugwu community, why would members of the community declare you persona non grata, when the state government appointed you as the new Obi of Obinugwu?
That is the stock-in-trade of Cletus Ilomuanya. Since he made himself the Eze, he has been manipulating the people of the community. Yes, it is true that people were asked to pay N100,000 and N200,000 for associating with me after the state government had pronounced me as the new Obi of Obinugwu and it is the handiwork of Cletus Ilomuanya. Even those who had published an advertorial in the newspaper in support of me were bundled back to the community by Ilomuanya’s thugs to recant their statements or be dealt with. Some were even forced to sign documents that their contents were never read to them. But my life has been in the hands of God, otherwise, he would have eliminated me a long time ago. I have never slept in my house in the village since 1997 because of the Ezeship tussle.
Are you implying that advertorials published in national newspapers signed by chiefs from all the villages in the community, and those by Obinugwu sons and daughters in the Diaspora saying that they have implicit confidence in Eze Cletus Ilomuanya as Obi of Obinugwu, is false?
It is all manipulations and if anybody has signed anything in support of Cletus Ilomuanya, they have simply done so because they want to live till tomorrow, not because they did not know my community is the first village or that Ilomuanya family was once banished from Ihitte-Owerre. Cletus Ilomuanya’s stock-in-trade is intimidation.
You alleged that Cletus Ilomuanya manipulated the constitution. How is it possible for an individual to manipulate a constitution of an entire community?
If you know his antecedents, you will know that he is capable of anything. He can’t deny that he manipulated the constitution. Because of his influence, people simply signed whatever he presented to them just to avoid trouble and that was what happened. Now, why did he not allow for a level playing field on the Ezeship matter, and this is somebody whose father and grandfather were never made an nze or chief?
Now, what is the situation in Obinugwu?
The situation on ground is that now, I am the new Obi of Obinugwu as recognised by the state government. This is what brought me back to my village after being chased away by Cletus Ilomuanya.
But the people of Obinugwu have also stated that they never nominated anybody to the governor to be made an Eze. How about that?
If the people did not present me, how did I become the traditional prime minister of Ihitte-Owerre?
But that was before the creation of Obinugwu autonomous community
Yes. But that was before Cletus Ilomuanya installed himself as the Eze.
But he was installed by the then millitary administration of the state?
He manipulated the military government in the state to install him as the Eze of the community.
Are you saying now that the Obinugwu people support your installation by the state government?
Yes, they are 100 per cent in support of me; because nobody has done what I have done for them. I built 27 roads for the community; I built a bridge for the community, secondary school block during the late Chief Sam Mbakwe’s time, so that our children can go to school. I have given scholarship to many people in the community, from secondary school to university and the beneficiaries are still alive. I also trained a lot of the youths in my line of business; at least 80 per cent of successful businessmen in Obinugwu today were through my effort.
Eze Ilomuanya said Obinugwu became an autonomous community through his effort.
When he was bragging that he bought the throne with four million, I told the person who informed me to tell him to come and collect eight million from me. Precisely, on January 18, 1997, he did everything to eliminate me because of the throne, after I had defeated him in the court. He even asked me to return the staff of office given to me by the late Eze Ezeioha of Ihitte- Owerre as the traditional prime minister.
You said you had defeated him in the court?
He left the Ezeship tussle and wrote a petition against me, that I was a thorn in the flesh of our people. The case lasted nine years in the court and I defeated him. That is why my people now called me back and after I won the court case, Ilomunanya asked me to return the instrument of authority as the traditional prime minister of Ihitte-Owerre to him and I asked him if the chieftaincy title given to him by the same Ezerioha after he had given him a cow has he returned it? I also asked him whether others returned theirs. But I reminded him to relinquish the throne because he is not the right person to occupy it nor his village because, in Obinugwu, we have a tradition where things are shared according to seniority.
Let me repeat, Cletus Ilomuanya is not the first son of his father nor was his father, Edwin, the first son of his father and his village Umunwanturume is not the first in Obinugwu. So, there is no way that he would have become the Obi of Obinugwu, except by imposing himself on the community.
