The traditional ruler of Onitsha and Chairman of Anambra State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Alfred Achebe, has faulted the suspension of a monarch by the state government.
In a lengthy letter addressed to the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Collins Nwabunwanne, Igwe Achebe noted that the government’s action amounted to bullying the traditional institution and shaming it publicly.
He said the government’s allegation that some monarchs were selling traditional titles was misplaced.
“You publicly visited the sins of an unrecognised self-acclaimed traditional ruler on the entire state traditional institution, to which he does not belong.
“Without providing evidence for your sweeping statement about trading chieftaincy titles for money, you also, wittingly or not, thereby indicted the entire traditional institution of the state.
“Your press release to a global audience put the institution into disrepute when a direct circular letter to all traditional rulers as the parties of interest would have sufficed.
“The tone and language of your letter were, by any measure, a public riot act and pontification to the same majority of traditional rulers that you extolled as acting with dignity and integrity.
“The letter lacked respect and sensitivity in addressing the traditional rulers of Anambra State who, by any standard, are held in very high esteem in the comity of the traditional institutions of Nigeria and beyond,” the letter said.
Igwe Achebe described the state government’s use of “one Senator Ifeanyi Ubah” while referring to a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic as disrespectful.
“Your reference to a second-term Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as ‘one Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’ is most disrespectful, offensive, and unbecoming of one holding a political office as commissioner. It is noteworthy that a person can only qualify to contest elections after scaling through the highest level of security checks at the federal level.
“Furthermore, Distinguished Senator Ubah holds a chieftaincy title of his hometown, Nnewi, conferred on him by his monarch and Grand Patron of the Anambra State Traditional Institution, His Majesty, Igwe Kenneth O. Orizu.
“He is also a well-known business investor in Anambra State and a generous philanthropist.”
