Anambra town President General, others deny allegation of Igweship election manipulation 

By Phil Okose, Onitsha

The President General (PG) of the Isuaniocha community, in Awka North Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra State, Paul Onuorah Okoye and the Youth leader, Ozo Onyemazu Ngini have denied the allegation that the election that produced Chief Sylvester Ngini as Igwe was manipulated, describing the claims as a figment of the imagination of enemies of progress.

The PG reiterated that as far as he is concerned Isuaniocha conducted the freest election he has ever witnessed in the community on January 6th, 2023, stating that up till now he is not aware of anybody complaining that the election was manipulated.

“The loser in the Igweship election, Chief Donatus Okoye, congratulated the winner in the presence of everybody and even went to the Isuaniocha platform to congratulate him. So I am not aware of any complaint from anybody, even as the President General. What we are talking about now is the issuance of our certificate of recognition for our Igwe.”

“Isuaniocha Development Union of which I am the President General conducted the election and until this moment I have not been served with any court processes with respect to the election,” he continued.

“Those carrying the rumour are enemies of progress because if Isuaniocha cannot get an Igwe for the past 19 years we have had more than four to six PGs since then and none of them was doing enough to give Isuaniocha an Igwe.”

“I tried my best to conduct the election of Igwe and somebody from somewhere wants to kick against it, that means that person is an enemy of progress because a town without an Igwe for 19 years you know what it means, that town is backward,” Okoye said.

“On the day of the conduct of the election, journalists were there, there were no gunshots, no fight, even no pushing of anybody. We conducted our election very free and fair, [and] everybody was there to witness it.” 

I was not even in control, but there was an electoral committee that controlled the election. I participated as a voter, I voted for the candidate that I felt he would do well and after the voting, the votes were counted and the result was announced in the presence of everybody,” the PG explained. 

“When [the] Igwe-elect was going home to celebrate, I was even the person that called him back and called the loser back and they embraced themselves and congratulated themselves and made their speeches and the loser accepted the decision of Isuaniocha, the winner also accepted and we dismissed, so anybody trying to dismiss the result is a dubious person,” he stated.

The PG reacted further by saying that the “person should tell us [the townspeople] who manipulated the election. The ballot box was there in the eyes of everybody; There was accreditation, [and] we all waited until they finished the counting and the winner was declared.”

The winner and loser are not complaining, the electoral committee is not complaining, and no member of IDU is complaining. Who again will complain? We have crossed the stage of the election,” he affirmed.

In his reaction to the allegation, the town youth leader, Onyemazu Ngini, hinted that he is hearing that the election was manipulated for the first time, stating that it is false, untrue and an allegation from rumour mongers.

He pointed out that several agencies came and observed what happened.

“That day, the LGA chairman came and the Commissioner for Local Government sent a representative. They all came and there was nothing like a crisis and the winner was declared. The loser Chief Donatus Okeke congratulated the winner, [and] nobody said the election was not free and fair.” 

“You know, people must talk,” Onyemazu Ngini added.

“Since after the election, our community is in peace; [there is] no panic, everywhere is quiet, we are all happy that the election is free and fair without a fight. After this 2023 election, they will still talk while the loser will be congratulating the winner and supporters will be by the side talking their own, is equivalent to this our election,” he posited.

The youth leader lamented that the community lost a lot of things for the 19 years it was without a monarch, thereby making PGs usurp the functions of the Igwe which caused problems in the community. 

He stated that the incumbent PG is a God-fearing man [who] insisted on conducting an election to produce a man of the people as the monarch.

“He is the only PG that did well,” the youth leader declared.

“I even said in the town hall meeting that if after it resulted that there is what he committed that the good things he (the PG) did, will cover him. Now that we have [an] Igwe, if the PG starts doing wrongly, the Igwe will call him to order.” 

“This is the only PG that insisted that we must have an Igwe so that the bad people in Isuaniocha will be curtailed,” he further stated.

Onyemazu Ngini expressed satisfaction that a lot of progress has been recorded since the election, as issues and matters are being referred to the Igwe’s palace for a peaceful settlement, irrespective of one’s position in the society.

“The whole of Isuaniocha will give thanks to our PG, not only me” he affirmed.