The people of Ugwu Mkpa autonomous community in Bende LGA of Abia State have expressed relief that their community now has a ‘Substantive’ traditional ruler.
The celebration followed the giving of Staff of Office to their son, HRS Eze Princewill Onyegbu as the traditional ruler of Ugwu Mkpa, by the immediate past government of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
Onyeegbu was among the 31 royal fathers who recieved their Staff of Office on May 9 from the former Governor few days before Ikpeazu completed his second term in office.
However, it is of note that the now confirmed traditional ruler was elected by his people in 2002 to become their Eze, in consideration of his previous years of service to them. But Onyeegbu who was then, the Chairman of Abia State Rubber Board, accepted his nomination and eventual election as the traditional ruler but deferred his assumption of office to the time he would have completed his service in the government establishment.
Interestingly, Onyeegbu , known for his outspokenness, contested for the seat of Bende South constituency in Abia State House of Assembly in 2007 and won the election , going ahead to represent his people for 8 years in the House till 2015.
On his return from the House of Assembly, the now traditional ruler aspired for Bende Federal constituency in PDP but did not get the ticket as Hon. Nnenna Elendu Ukeje still got the ticket and eventually triumphed. The nostalgia to maintain one leg in politics made him to remain in politics, rather than retiring to his traditional office as a monarch.
To some indigenes of Ugwu Mkpa who spoke under anonymity, these 21 years periods affected development in their villages as according to the natives, their supposed traditional ruler spent more days in the township than in their village.
They also alleged that during his 21 years as Eze-elect, Eze Onyegbu spent some days in Nkpa where he attended to community matters. But the royal father, according to the villagers sometimes coordinated more of the affairs of the community through phone calls, video calls or through palace Cabinet Chiefs which according to them, could not be effectively be compared to physical presence.
“The stool belonged to him because he had already been chosen by the people to be their traditional ruler because he is a good man.” However, the 21 years of his stay in active politics after his election as Eze-elect did not help us his concentration weighed much on politics than traditional leadership”, the villager told News Echo under anonymity. Before his eventual ascension to the throne, Eze Princewill Onyegbu held several elected and appointment positions in Abia which included Abia State Rubber Board and Member of Abia State House of Assembly for Bende South for 8 years. He was also elected as the Deputy Chairman of Abia State and later served as acting State Chairman.
After serving at PDP, Onyegbu was appointed as the Transition Committee Chairmen of Bende LGA by former Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu among other positions. In all those 21 years, the Eze-elect did not collect his Staff of Office. But on May 9, 2023 he was eventually presented with the mantle of leadership. Some political analysts who spoke about the long wait for a ‘Substantive’ Eze, claimed that the dismal performance of PDP of PDP in the last general election meant that ‘political season’ was over for prospective PDP political appointment seekers. Commenting on the development, the President General of Ahuwa Oboro ancient kingdom in Ikwuano LGA, Engr James Obadiah Uchegbue advised traditional rulers to concentrate on their duties as custodians of communities.
He frowned at a development where traditional rulers in Igbo would live in faraway places like Lagos, Abuja and and overseas for many years or months while leaving the leadership of their communities in the hands of Palace Chiefs, Presidents General or other trusted friends. “This is one of the things causing problems in Ikwuano LGA.
Some traditional rulers prefer to operate from their bases in Lagos, Abuja and others. “From those places they will be recieving information from a few individuals at home. The bad thing is the information fed to these traditional rulers are most times not accurate with what is happening in the villages.” Uchegbue advised Abia State government to checkmate the trend as according to the Ahuwa Oboro PG, development of the State starts from rural areas.
