By Onuchukwu Hamilton
Contrary to the Amanator Okporo Autonomous Community warnings and the unvacated High Court Orders, voiding the Ezeship ambition of the late Eze Ibenye Ugbala Sons, it was gathered that as the new Traditional Ruler of the community, Eze Francis Ujagba and the kingmakers scheduled to celebrate the traditional newyam, on the 30th of August, the same sons of Ugbala dares, and unbelievably went ahead to organize their own on the same date but reports shows that both their own community, and sister Communities in Orlu nation, shunned them and honoured only the invitation from HRH Eze Francis Ujagba which surprisingly took the shape of a state carnival in Amanator Autonomous Community on the 30 & 31th of August. It is now on record that Under the watch of HRH, Eze Francis Ujagba, the 2025
Amanator Okporo Community new yam festival pulled an unprecedented crowd and plethora of very distinguished captains of industries. It featured, various cultural dance groups and masquerades, a moonlight Suya party, the unveiling and hand over of completed standard buildings for all the downtrodden which Eze Ujagba called the operation no mud houses in Amanator Okporo Autonomous Community
Feilding questions from newsmen at the new yam festival held in the Community central square, the leader and patron for the association of Okporo sons in diaspora, Chief Izuchukwu Agu, hinted that the linking roads and solar powers in the whole area,were provided by Eze Ujagba. Besides the infrastructural development, he also hinted that he has all the good qualities to make them happy.
It would be recalled the it was widely reported in the media that the Son of the late HRH Eze Ibenye Ugbala in Amanator Okporo Autonomous Community in Orlu LGA of Imo State, risks court contempt and Community sanction, following a self parade as the community Traditional Ruler .
This follows the recent unvacated court judgement which hitherto ruled that the Ezeship stool of the community is rotational.
Aside the subsisting court judgment, the Traditional Chief Priest , the three President Generals, the oldest men and youth leaders of all the Autonomous Communities that are still under Okporo Traditional Society such as ( the Isiala Okporo, the Amanator Okporo, the Udogadi Okporo Autonomous Communities) had warned that the Son of the late HRH, Eze Ibenye Ugbala should Obey the Court Order and desist from causing commotion in the community by trying to hold unto the throne which has constitutionally been shifted to the rightful village called the Umuebele village.
According to grape vines, this recent peaceful High Court Judgment that upholds the existing rotating kingship as enshrined in the Amanator Okporo constitution, the sons of the late monarch are fingered to have reneged and renewed the tension in the area by plotting to organize the community new yam festival when there is an official order that has transferred royalty to another village where a Traditional Ruler has constitutionally emerged and crowned. This situation which is considered as unusual ,may according to grapevines compel the three communities in Okporo to disassociate themselves from both the Ibenye Ugbala Sons and whoever that fans their embers.
The three communities in Okporo issue a press statement mandating Ibenye Ugbala sons to stop further court actions and embrace the Umuebele village, where the new Traditional Ruler has rightfully emerged. the President Generals of the three communities, Hon. Emeka Oguaju, Chief Sir John Egeolu and Engr. Nwaugo told news men, that the duely signed communique, was subjected to rigorous processes before its signing by the Okporo clan heads, the apex traditional Chief Priest. That as a condition, all the elders, the Traditional Chief Priests,took an excursion into the history of Okporo Traditional Society, the Ezeship structures, including when the late Eze Ibenye Ugba assumed the kingship throne in 1978 through a popularly contested election. The man who started with the Late Monarch in the same year and served him as the palace Secretary for twelve years, is still living as one of the oldest men , and he came and narrated to the entire community that there was nothing like an agreed or constitutional hereditary kingship. That like the two other sister Communities( Isiala Okporo & Udogadi Okporo) with rotating kingship, Amanator Okporo never dream of any hereditary kingship.
It was also proofed that prior to the division of Okporo into three parts, the communities have shared everything in common.
Meanwhile, the Community of Amanator Okporo, through their leaders challenged the kingship staff which the late Ugbala son, was alleged to have illegally received. The Orlu High Court in its recent unostentatious judgment, via suit No:HOR/35/2025 , stated that the plaintiff’s have proved their case on a preponderance of evidence and the court declared that Amanator Okporo has a Constitution which must be respected and enforced. Court ordered that Ibenye Ugbala Son is not qualified to be presented or issued a staff of office as the Eze because he did not participate in the Ezeship election conducted by Amanator Okporo Town Union. The Court restrained the Imo State Government, the Attorney General, Imo State, the Hon. Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs from issuing or endorsing the issuance of the stavff to Ibenye Ugbala son or any other person who did not take part in the Ezeship election of Amanator.
