I overcame the temptation not to serve you your regular Tuesday tonic, Harvest, this week. Certain developments and situation within my environment weakened my spirit and almost got yours sincerely in a sober and bad mood.
Writers or journalists are always advised that whenever they are sober or disturbed, especially when such is inflicted by those you lest expected to do so, it is better you abstain from writing because that inspiration that will propel you to write and convey your expressions will be missing or totally eliminated.
However, I thank God that the inspiration to write bounced back in me when I remembered the words of an octogenarian who said that the ability to overcome temptations and evil intentions of men is what makes one to be a real man.
I also took solace in the fact that no man can shape another man’s destiny and no matter the provocation advanced towards you by those who think they have an axe to grind with you, one should always stay cool, level headed and focused.
In all things, I say to God be the glory; He who seeth the hearts of men and will certainly judge them according to their actions!
For my dear readers who might be taken aback at my sermon in this piece and the fact that I am speaking or writing in parables, I assure them that in the fullness of time this parable will be dissected and my message clear to those who want to know. Case closed! Now to the crux of the matter.
Last week was tense in some parts of the State. Some communities in Imo State were bedevilled with the scramble for the Ezeship stool. I had refused to write on this burning issue because Ezeship tussles in Imo are so complex and thorny. And because the problems that trail the selection and conferment of an Eze in Imo communities are multi faceted, I decided to avoid the issue like a plague.
However,I had to reverse my stance last week when one of my reporters retuned from Irette in Owerri West LGA lamenting how he escaped death by the stroke of luck. He had gone to cover a plebiscite scheduled by the Imo State government to elect a new traditional ruler for Irette community.
That community, I was told, has been without an Eze for years. I was reliably informed that there are many contenders for the Ezeship stool and this has made the quest for the seat by contending forces in the area so intense and fierce. And because of the intensity of the scramble for the Ezeship stool of Irette, option A4 system was adopted to elect a new traditional ruler.
Option A4 is a brand of election where supporters of a candidate stay in a queue directly behind their choice candidate for any election. It was introduced by Prof Humphrey Nwosu led National Electoral Commission to conduct the June 12, 1993 elections. That polls remain the most free and fair election in the history of the country.
According to reports, the beauty or rather the efficiency of Option A4 was rubbished at Irette when those who were told to stay in a queue behind the candidates that were vying for the Ezeship stool choose to engage themselves in a free for all fight when they noticed that the queue behind a particular aspirant for the Ezeship stool was longer and implies that such candidate was riding to victory.
The exercise I was further told ended in fiasco as three persons were injured in the melee before it took the intervention of security operatives to quell the situation. My reporter showed yours sincerely photographs of a man whose head was “designed” with bottles as dangerous weapons such as daggers and matchetes were freely use by supporters of contending forces in a nzogbu nzogbu fashion .
While the Ezeship election in Irette went out of control, there were also reports and cases of fierce competition for Ezeship stools in other areas. In Agbala, a report said tension still pervades the community while peace of the graveyard has enveloped Naze community.
Newspaper reports indicated that youths,men, widows of Naze went to Government House, Owerri in droves to register their displeasure over the imposition of aTraditional Ruler in the area.
The demonstrators claimed they elected Chief Malachy Onu as Eze in a free and fair election, last month defeating two other candidates. Similar stories and cases abound the nooks and crannies of Imo State.
I tell those who care to listen that it is pitiable and unfortunate that the desperation for the Ezeship stool in some communities in Imo State has taken a worrying and dangerous dimension. It has degenerated from bad to worse and will even get messier.
I was told that in the olden days, the ugly scenes we see presently in the race or scramble for Ezeship stools was seldom heard or witnessed. I was told that the selection of an Eze in Igboland was simply done with less stress and hassles. There were rules for such exercise and everyone was bound by that rule. Every condition or laid down rules for electing an Eze then were strictly adhered to and complied with. There was hardly dissenting voices.
The exercise then was simple, devoid of manipulations, intrigues and less cumbersome. Selection of an Eze then was mainly hereditary and in some areas the practice was not so, the best possible means or measure was acceptable and in sync with the culture and tradition of such communities.
Communities who felt that there was need for a change in selecting an Eze simply did so without confrontation and less acrimony. It was done with the mutual consent of either representatives of various clans or stakeholders in a community who were mainly seen as kingmakers.
While some modifications were made in electing or appointing Ezes in recent times to reflect present day realities, it suceeded to create room and opportunity for centrifugal forces to have a field day by attempting to upturn the usual laid norms, culture and tradition in selecting or electing Ezes in Imo State. This gave rise to the ascension of persons of questionable character and misfit to the scared Ezeship stools in some communities in Imo State.
The resultant effect is Ezeship scuffle and tussle that has been complimented by litany of demonstrations and protests in some communities in the State.
The situation or trend is gradually getting out of control. If the choice of an Eze can bring out the beast in men as we saw in Irete where dangerous weapons were freely used by supporters of those eying the community’s Ezeship stool, then it is evidently clear that the situation has accentuated to an unprecedented level.
When a situation gets out of control, It becomes a time bomb ticking to explode. One can only imagine the effects of Ezeship tussles in our communities if the trend continues unabated . It is so sad that the election of Ezes which used to be a thing of joy in the hinterlands Imo State has suddenly become a basis or platform for war and battles.
It has degenerated to the point human lives are lost in the process.All sorts of tactics, both conventional and unconventional are applied by those eying Ezeship stools in a bid to outwit the other. The long term effect of this practice has rendered most communities in Imo State prostrate and Ezeless. Research shows that most of our law courts are also inundated with loads of Ezeship related cases. This is pitiable and sad.
I will not hesistate to say that the erosion of our culture and values also contributed immensly to swell the bowels of conflict and disagreement concerning Ezeship related matters in Imo State.
A situation where the cultural norms applied in selecting Ezes in line with the norms of our culture and tradition are randomly ignored has given rise to the conflicts we see that ravage most communities in Imo State when the issue of Ezeship tussle arises.
This should change. This where the Eze Sam Ohiri led Council of Traditional Rulers ought to intervene and rescue the traditional institution in the State that has shown signs of losing its credibility and relevance in the State. The traditional institution remain one of the legacies left behind by our forebearers. If it is allowed to degenerate to the point where it is no longer respected, then we should fear for the worst.
I rest my case.
