Anambra Community Igweship Dispute Intensifies as Top Commissioner Allegedly Ignores Constitution
- Ndiowu stakeholders have accused Anambra officials of manipulating the Igwe election process against community wishes
- Community leaders have rejected plans to suspend their constitution and exclude women from voting
- Ndiowu residents have called on Governor Soludo to halt the proposed election to prevent a crisis
Stakeholders have accused Anambra state’s Commissioner for Local Government, Hon. TonyCollins Nwabunwanne, and Orumba North Mayor, Hon. Casmir Nwafor, of manipulating Ndiowu’s constitution to favour a preferred candidate against the people’s will.
Source: UGC
The community has, for a long time, been engulfed in a tussle for who occupies the traditional stool of the town, after the demise of the former traditional ruler twelve years ago.
But the tussle has taken a worsening dimension recently following the alleged decision of the Hon. Commissioner to set aside the community's constitution, and to conduct the kingship election for the Ndiowu community through his fiat.
The Commissioner had also allegedly ordered that women would not participate in the voting; that he should be the one to set up the electoral committee for the town; and that the process of the election would be a secret ballot, among other annoying decisions.
But on Sunday, January 11, 2026, the stakeholders of the town converged at the community's civic center where they expressed their frustration and disappointment over the commissioner's position on the matter.
Present at the protest meeting were chairmen of the nine villages in Ndiowu, women leaders, past presidents general, Umuada Ndiowu and youth leaders.
Community rejects Commissioner’s Igwe election plans
Leading the protest was a former President General of Ndiowu Town Union (NTU), Engr Chike Emenike, who said that the stand of the local government Commisioner and the Orumba North LGA Mayor over the Igweship issue in Ndiowu is biased, and does not represent the interest of the town.
He said, "We had a meeting with the Anambra state government on 6th January, 2026, concerning how we shall go about electing a new Igwe in the Ndiowu community. After our pre-election consultative meeting at the Government House, Awka - where we stood firm that no election can proceed without full community consensus and strict adherence to our constitution - we were told we would be allowed to report back to the people, and that no official date would be enforced until after the General Assembly of the Ndiowu community has approved it."
"But now, the commissioner has unilaterally set Monday, 12th January, 2026, as the “new” election date - two days after our General Assembly meeting. The Commissioner also ordered that only male members of Ndiowu can vote - disenfranchising our women’s wings - despite decades of women voting in Ndiowu affairs."
"The Commissioner has also said that the Ndiowu Constitution will be set aside, with no legal basis or court order. He also intends to impose secret ballot voting - something our Constitution does not provide for - and which would silence transparency. He also plans to hand the entire election management to his own appointees, not an independent Ndiowu electoral committee."
"This is not what we agreed to. There is a hidden agenda. This is a slap to our constitution. This is an attempt to steal our voice. We went to Awka in good faith - to negotiate in the spirit of unity. We did not go to hand over our sovereignty to a government official."
"We, hereby, declare that we reject any election date that is not approved by the General Assembly. We reject any voting system that excludes women of Ndiowu, who have always voted and will continue to do so."
"We reject any attempt to suspend our Constitution without due legal process - there is no court order, no amendment, no waiver, just fiat."
"We reject any secret ballot. Our tradition is open, transparent, and accountable - no shadows, no fraud, no fear. We also reject any electoral committee that is not appointed by Ndiowu - no outsiders will decide who leads us."
"This is the moment we shall decide whether Ndiowu is ruled by its people or by a Commissioner or a Mayor, who think they can rewrite our laws from their offices. We will not be silenced. We will not be divided. We will not be defeated."
Source: Original
Ndiowu leaders call for fair Igwe vote
Also speaking on the matter, the leader of women in the community, Mrs Ifeyinwa Nwafor, asked Governor Charles Soludo to call the Hon. Commissioner and the Mayor to order not to set the Ndiowu community on fire."
Rejecting the commissioner's stand that women will not vote in the election, Mrs Okafor insisted that the idea is contrary to the existing electoral pattern in the community, and insisted that womenfolk will reject the move with everything at their disposal.
She said, "They should answer this question first: the Igwe they're trying to elect, shall he rule over the male folk alone? Are women going to elect their own traditional ruler thereafter?"
Speaking on behalf of all the nine village chairmen in the community, the chairman of Umudiabor village, Mazi Uchenna Iloh, asked Governor Soludo to ensure that the election forcefully fixed by the LG Commissioner for Monday, January 12, 2026, is cancelled and fixed for April 2026 to ensure adequate consultation, preparation and participation by the townpeople.
He also pointed out that the town has a way of rotating the stool among the four traditional quarters, adding that it is the turn of the Ufele quarter to produce a candidate for the stool, and further requested Governor Charles Soludo not to permit that the arrangement be distorted, to avoid a crisis.
Also speaking on behalf of the youths of the community, the president of Ndiowu youths, Comrade Onyeka Okeke, said,
"Youths of the Ndiowu community are very supportive of the administration of Governor Charles Soludo. At the same time, we need peace in our town, and the best way to sustain this peace is to ensure that our governor cancels the election forcefully fixed by the Commissioner for Monday, January 12."
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"We also solicit for option A4, which is the standard procedure we have used over the years. Our governor should also ensure that the long tradition of women participating in electing Igwe is maintained."
"For the past three years, after the election of our new PG, we enjoyed peace. The Government of Soludo is known for maintaining peace in communities. An agent of the state government should, therefore, not be seen as igniting trouble in a peaceful town like Ndiowu."
Soludo mourns Anambra siblings in Lagos fire
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Governor Charles Soludo expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death of three Anambra siblings who were killed in a major fire outbreak on Lagos Island on Christmas Eve.
Soludo described the incident as a profound loss for the state and urged residents to prioritise safety measures to prevent similar disasters during festive periods.
He also called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the inferno and com
Source: Legit.ng
