The Iriji Mbaise Festival which has remained a ritual and rallying point for Mbaise Nation, both at home and in the diaspora to show-case the cultural affinity of Mbaise people may run into a hitch this time, as Ezuruezu Mbaise social-cultural organization that binds Mbaise Clan together, has been decimated by internal squable.
According to information available to Trumpeta, the annual Iriji ceremony, which usually holds every August 15, may turn out to be a battle ground this year, as two factions fight for the soul of Ezuruezu Mbaise socio-cultural organization.
Trumpeta learnt that presently, Mbaise nation as a whole has been torn into camps as every citizen of the clan show sympathy to the various factions that have emerged out of the former cohesive Ezurueze Mbaise.
It was learnt that Ezeruezu Mbaise socio-cultural organization, which has been led by Chief Okey Aguwa for nearly decade now has been over-thrown by a new leadership which out-manoeuvred the Aguwa Group during a meeting held in Mbaise land to appraise the developments in the organization.
Meanwhile Aguwa Group has refused to acknowledge that its Executive has been dissolved, with a new Executive in place.
In the said election which produced a new chairman, nearly all the Executive members of Ezuruezu Mbaise are card carrying members of the All Progressive Congress APC. Even the State Chairman of the APC, Dr Hilary Eke, was elected as a member of the present Ezuruezu Mbaise Executive.
Trumpeta learnt that the APC members in Mbaise staged the coupe to topple the Aguwa Executive which they accused of being populated with Peoples Democratic Party PDP members, who double as Ezuruezu Mbaise Executive.
However, Trumpeta learnt that the major factor which led to the current disruption of the Aguwa Executive is the forthcoming Iriji Mbaise, which is annually midwived by the over-all socio-cultural canopy of all Mbaise citizens; Ezuruezu.
Sensing that the ceremony is fast approaching, Agents of the present administration in the State and of Mbaise extraction moved in to dethrone Aguwa.
Trumpeta was told that following the scenario of last year’s Iriji Mbaise, where the State Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and then Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha clashed, APC members from Mbaise decided to pull the rug off the feet of the Aguwa Executive, seen as an off-shoot of PDP, so that Okorocha can have a triumphant sail into Mbaise Nation on August 15, 2015, devoid of the 2015 crisis.
However, the situation now looks dicey as the Iriji Mbasie 2015 sits precariously on a keg of gun powder, because it looks like last year’s ceremony will be a child’s play next month in terms of violence.
Triumpeta learnt that both camps of the Ezuruezu Mbaise are sharpening their objects waiting for the D-day, which is August 15, 2015, when both warring factions will know between the two Tortoise, which one is the male.
Trumpeta learnt that the present Ezuruezu executive is relying on the power from the state Government leaded by Owelle Rochas Okorocha, as they believe that with Ihedioha and Prof Viola Onwuliri now out of office, no other person can challenge Okorocha in Mbaise Nation, like Ihedioha and Onwuliri stood eye to eye with the Governor during the last Iriji Mbaise, where guns boomed.
With the latest drama playing out in Mbaise Nation, will the usual cohesiveness found in Mbaise still remain there? Will Iriji Mbaise 2015 hold? Even if it holds, will it be devoid of chaos and mayhem? If it does not hold, what message does it send to the whole world?
Has the Aguwa camp agreed that an election has taken place, and a new President installed in Ezuruezu Mbaise? These questions would soon be answered by coming developments.
