The last has not been heard about the crisis surrounding the Owerri citizenship handed over to Chief Uche Nwosu, a former Chief of Staff, Government House, Imo State and candidate of Action Alliance, AA in the 2019 Imo Governorship election.
The people of Umuoyima community, in Owerri, which gave Uche Nwosu the controversial Owerri citizenship which was later withdrawn has descended on one Mr Chidi Nze over what the community termed as his “desecration of our revered Institutions and deliberate misrepresentation of facts concerning the community”.
In a communiqué released by NZUKO UMUOYIMA AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY and signed by both men and women of the community, the President General of Umuoyima, Christian Anukam said that Mr Chidi Nze, who he said was a follower of Uche Nwosu went to Radio Station to misrepresent Umuoyima community to the world, which he said did not go down well with the community and therefore was excommunicated by the community.
“Consequently, this pattern of Chidi Nze’s reckless conduct, impulsive actions and uncautionable utterances which goes against the ethos and norms of the close nit Umuoyima community is hereby condemned and based on which he is traditionally excommunicated from the fold of the community” the communiqué read.
The community however said that Chidi Nze would be accepted by back by the community at “a time he comes back to his senses, shows remorse and renders an unreserved apology to the entire people of Umuoyima community”.
However, some people who spoke to Trumpeta said that Umuoyima community has no right to “excommunicate” Mr Chidi Nze for exercising his Fundamental Human Right of Freedom of Speech and association, as such could be seen as draconian.
“Not everybody must agree to a particular opinion in a given society. What Chidi Nze did was to express himself as it concerns freedom of speech and association.
What makes it a crime to support and speak for another citizen other than that supported by others?” Dr Ephraim Opara asked Trumpeta.
A source close to Chidi Nze who spoke to Trumpeta said that the young man is going about his life peacefully as a free citizen of Owerri, Imo State and Nigeria, and respects his Elders, pointing out that Chidi Nze has an opinion different from others does not make him break any law, adding that Chidi Nze will reply to all the allegations against him at the appropriate time.
It would be recalled that at the heat of 2019 Imo Governorship election, when the issue of zoning cropped up, Chief Uche Nwosu, who hails from Orlu zone, where Governor who was concluding Eight years in office comes from, Nwosu sought and obtained Owerri citizenship to enhance his chances because majority of Imo people made case for Owerri zone, which had not governed the State since 1999 the present democratic dispensation came on board.
