A serious crisis is brewing at Isiagu Akpawfu autonomous community in Nkanu East Council Area of Enugu State over alleged moves by some people to impose a traditional ruler on the community without an election.

The Guardian gathered that the tussle over who occupies the throne among the three contestants screened and approved by the community’s executive is currently pending at the Court of Appeal, Enugu.

While the matter has not been dispensed with, one of the contestants has already started parading an alleged “certificate of recognition” for the throne, a development that the natives have rejected.

Speaking with newsmen in Enugu on the development, one of the contestants to the Igweship stool, Chief James Ede Ogbu, stated that he was disqualified because he was not a native of the autonomous community, an allegation he described as funny and laughable.

He said, “I’m from Umu-Ogaa kindred in Obodo Onovo Nwowo village, and it is gazetted, telling me that I’m not from the autonomous community, made me ask why this should be so.

According to him, the purported omission of his family name in the community list was deliberate and a conspiracy aimed at stopping him from participating in the Igweship election.

Ogbu stressed that the only way a Monarch can emerge, according to their constitution, was through election and not imposition, insisting that no election led to the emergence of Prince Tony Ike Okoye.

He noted that three contestants had earlier been screened and cleared by the electoral committee but was surprised when Okoye went to obtain an injunction that stopped the process.

Ogbu stated that he appealed against the judgement swiftly to correct the impression that he was not a citizen of the community.

He added that he was surprised that while the case was still pending before the court, Okoye was recognised as the traditional ruler of their community on 26th April, 2025, without an election.

He, therefore, appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to wade into the matter because he felt cheated and oppressed.

Corroborating Ogbu, the Assistant Secretary of the town union of the autonomous community, Mr. Ibezimako Ede Stephen, said the purported claim that Ogbu is not from the community was incorrect and appealed to the governor to come to their rescue in this matter.

Efforts to speak with the Enugu State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Okey Ogbodo, on the development were unsuccessful.

Ogbodo insisted that he “will not join issues with Ogbu and others for now.”