Anambra State Govt. Conspires against Me. …Monarch Cries Out

The Anambra State government’s yet to be recalled suspended traditional ruler of Nawfia Community, Njikoka Local Government Area of the State, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo has, in an  exclusive interview with NWEKE NWEKE in his Palace, accused the State Government of having placed the entire traditional institution in the State into stooge status, revealing that the only crime he knew he committed against the State was having demanded for 5% from the federation allocations, due to his local government area as stipulated by the laws of Anambra State, which according to him, the State law favoured the Monarchs to be enjoying 5% from the local government federation account monthly. During the interview, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, Igwe Umueri said among other things, that those after his throne in Nawfia are land grabbers who wants to suppress the poor and take over their lands.

His Excerpt:
Your Highness, we wish to find out the stage of your matter(s) in court today.

Well, one of the matters in the court just ended, I mean the one I filled against the government of Anambra state. The matter was filled in State High Court 3, Awka Anambra state by my legal counsel. That matter was struck out on the first day of March 2021. Although I’m not a lawyer but I think that case was improperly struck out. There seems to be conspiracy in Anambra state against me. I had 5 cases against the Anambra state government, out of the 5 cases, 4 were wrongly struck out through preliminary objections.

To buttress what I’m saying, I knew beforehand that the last case will be stuck out, so I was prepared. Upon striking out the case on the very day, I refilled the case, the same day within thirty minutes.
So, this should confirm to the authorities in Anambra State that I know what is going on in this state and the development should sound as a warning to them. The fact remains that the people who are at the edge of the conspiracy against me are using a particular person whom his Senior Advocate position in the judiciary had been taken away from to fight me. They keep using him to file quantums of lies against me, they should know that we are documenting so many things and I am going to  expose all of them if they don’t withdraw their sword. I’ve given this warning before and I’m giving it again now, sooner or later, it will be a bombshell.

His Royal Highness, your statement sounds like those you are pointing accusing fingers of conspiring against you are under a particular cult, aimed at dealing with you, can you give more explanation .

Yes, I quite suspect that there is a hierarchy secret society or cult groups going on in Anambra state and I’m quite happy that the Lagos State government just passed a law that if you are found as a secret society or cult member or engages in any act of cultism and found guilty, you go to jail for 21 years. I am calling on the good people of Anambra State to join me in praying the State judiciary to allow the court of law to always reflect the law and not any secret societies’ submissions.

By our records, there is a serious move to enthrone another traditional ruler in Nawfia Community, is the move in line with the constitution of the town?

As am talking to you, there is no constitution in my town, there is serious fraud in 2013, perpetrated against this town. Somebody from Nawfia Community, suing the State government to approve the Nawfia constitution, there’s no locus standing. While a case was against a constitution in another town, they sued, the government agreed, that is fraud and this must stop. I am prepared, ready and even willing to appear before any panel that is not the secret panel and I expose what is happening in Anambra state for the world to be put on notice. This is fraud, I say it again, this is fraud. The constitution prepared in 2013, they claimed to be Nawfia constitution remains the fraud on the highest order and the people who are promoting it should go to jail including whosoever signed that trash.

When you said fraud, somebody might have been behind it as you keep pointing at. Is there any person you are suspecting to have been behind the fraud you’re talking about?

Iam not suspecting anybody, I know the people, there’s no suspicion, there’s no speculation, I don’t want to expose their identity now, I want them to set up a panel, if they don’t, I shall have no other option other than going to the Federal Government to expose everybody.

Do you think the governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano has in any way erred as regards the problem in your community visa-vie your matters in Court?

The governor, to me has a choice. He is the number one citizen of Anambra state. He can decide to end this feud immediately or he can choose to delay it. Greg Ikechukwu Obi who is the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters is under the governor, the governor is the boss and the bulk of every sensitive matter(s) ends on his table. He can choose to end it immediately or allow it escalate.

Would you be surprise to hear that majority of the traditional rulers that were suspended alongside with you has reconciled with the State Government after they went and begged and their suspesion lifted. Igwe, why did you refused to tender an apology to the state government and be forgiven just like the majority of your colleagues did? 

This is a nice question and I like it. Going by what the recalled traditional rulers did, they don’t deserve to be traditional rulers any more and I keep it to mind. They should not be traditional rulers anymore and I keep it to my mind.They should not be traditional rulers anymore, I repeat. For one reason or another, Igwe is not bigger than another person. You have to commit something before you go and beg for forgiveness, not when the constitution of the Federal Government says you have freedom of association, not when the constitution of the Federal Government says you have right for movement, it is not polictical, you must have jurisdiction, if Nigeria must be correct, let’s start from Anambra. For real, it is not working well in Anambra. Why should some of the Monarchs; if I tell you what they did, the backyard business they did, which if they don’t take time, I’m going to expose all these things. It will not work. I want someone to show me the crime I committed for going to Abuja to see the of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Mohammad Buhari. I am using this medium to ask Mr President why is he keeping quiet? Are we in the jungle? Let the law be enforced, they are not enforcing the law because the law belongs to certain people in the society. If you are poor man in Anambra state, you can’t get judgement in your favour, quote me right.

Do you believe that judiciary is the last hope for the common man. In your own case, did it reflect in any way, going by your submissions in this interview?

Well, they say common man, show me any common man that has ever won a case against rich man in Anambra state. It is only when you prove me wrong that I will believe that judiciary is the last hope for the common man. Go and interview some of the common men in jail, you will see that some of the rich men sized their land and in their move to recover their ancestry inheritance, they landed themselves in prison yard. They should conduct research, found out everything  and it will all come out in the open. Llet’s see how judiciary is the last hope for a common man in Anambra state. Am I not a common man? The type of money my opponents are spending in the judiciary just to undue me,, they can use it to reconstruct all the roads in Nawfia

(Cut in) so going by your claimed experience, judiciary is not the last hope for the common man in Anambra state?

It is not I stand to be challenged.

His Highness, since your purported suspesion cum illegal withdrawal of your certificate of recognition by the State Government, what level of support have being receiving from your people because I want to believe that if the outside world should hear that your people are solidly behind you, there will be no need for another traditional ruler as well as government withdrawing your certificate?

My people, mostly the common men in my community are soildly behind me. What you are hearing in Nawfia are organised and championed by few people, let the Executive Governor of Anambra State not be deceived at all, nobody is contesting to be enthroned as a new traditional ruler of Nawfia, what they are fighting is for, is to sale off the lands that belong to the common people. The people championing all these are land speculators. They’re interested in land and I will not allow it as the traditional ruler of Nawfia and that was why the Monarch Palace is for common and rich people. Again, another set of people championing the fight are people looking for political patronage. For me, I’m not looking for anything, I’m doing my job as the traditional ruler of our community, my people are with me, do your research.

And you are willing to get answers from the court without violence?

Yes, if I had wanted violence, it could have happened long time ago, but don’t forget that my father was assassinated on February 15th 2000. There are a lot of people in Nawfia Community who think the Igweship stool should go to them when I die. I don’t have any hands. I know If am gone, the way they’re going crazy now, to me, they are going to be bloodbath in Nawfia Community that they cannot even control without even any man doing anything. I have been instrumental in keeping Nawfia peaceful. You don’t have to belong to any party, the traditional ruler have a right to endorse any person. The right to keep quiet is moral, is not legal. So let’s differentiate both of them. It is not by force, we are being raped, the traditional institution is been raped in Anambra State. The traditional institution in Anambra State remain stooges, today, they have no say in the governance of Anambra state, they either agree. I can see somebody criticizing the government to get the money, all such criticism are constructive.The staff of the water resources want their bulks of accumulated arrears of salary and won in Court. We are agitating, my crime is that I agitated for 5% stipends to the traditional rulers from the Loacl Government Federation Allocation and that is the crime I committed against the state government. It that against anybody? I’m looking for my salary increase.Tell me what is wrong in it. I want somebody to tell me the crime I committed against the state other that what I just said.

Each time you speak, you speak more about threats to your life. Is it settled now or are you still living under threats coming from the higher authorities in Anambra state, according to you?

Well, I can tell you without mentioning names, a lot of people around me are running, they been scared, a person with me(name withheld) few days ago, risked been attacked, they followed him from Nawfia here to Ogidi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State and threatened him. So I’m not saying what I don’t know. I cannot rely on the nonsense investigations they do here, any further investigations must be videotaped, they will have a copy and I have a copy for evidence purposes. Thank you for coming to me Palace.