Crisis Looms in Anambra Community as Some Stakeholders Protest ‘Ilegal Igweship Election

By Mary Obi

Some Stakeholders in Ndiowu community in Orumba North LGA, Anambra State has issued an urgent appeal to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene and postpone the scheduled traditional ruler (Igweship) election to avoid a total breakdown of law and order.

The election, currently slated for Monday, January 12, 2026, has sparked widespread outrage among indigenes who claim the process violates their long-standing constitution and excludes key demographics.

Allegations of Constitutional Violations
During a press briefing held Sunday at the Ndiowu Town Hall, community leaders accused the State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs of attempting to bypass established traditional protocols.

Chief Chike Emenike, former President General of the Ndiowu Development Union, warned that the community is on the brink of a crisis. He alleged that the Commissioner for Local Government, Hon. Tony Collins Nwabunwanne, is pushing for a “secret ballot” system—a move he says is alien to the town’s gazetted constitution.

“It has never happened in the history of Ndiowu that an Igweship election is held outside the provisions of our constitution,” Emenike stated. “The current plan disenfranchises our women and ignores the traditional electoral process.”
Demands for Inclusivity and Postponement
The protesters, comprising women, youth groups, and village heads, are demanding that the election be shifted to the 2026 Easter period. They argue that an Easter date would allow Ndiowu indigenes living in cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt to return home and participate.

Key grievances raised by the community include:
Disenfranchisement: The exclusion of women from the voting process.
Lack of Transparency: The shift from traditional open voting to a secret ballot.
Imposition: Concerns that the state government is attempting to “impose” a monarch against the will of the people and the “gods of the land.”

United Front Against the State Mandate
The Ndiowu Women Leader, Lady Ifeyinwa Okafor, and Youth Leader, Comrade Onyeka Okeke, have both threatened a total boycott of the Monday proceedings. They maintain that any ruler emerged from a flawed process would lack legitimacy.

The stool of the traditional ruler of Ndiowu has been vacant for 11 years following the passing of the previous monarch. The current race features five contenders:
Barrister Ogochukwu Nwankwo
Mr. Onyeka Nwafor
Onyeka Kanu
Mr. Obuneme Okeke
Chief Chibuzor Okeke.
A Call for Executive Intervention
The community is calling on Governor Soludo to restrain Commissioner Nwabunwanne and the Orumba North Council Chairman, Mr. Casmir, to ensure a peaceful transition.

“We are a peace-loving people,” Emenike concluded. “We do not want our community to be on fire. We want the Governor to respect the wishes of the Ndiowu people.”
As of Sunday evening, the Anambra State Government had not yet issued an official response to the demand for postponement.