Anambra Community Elects Monarch 34 Years After

Anambra Community Elects Monarch 34 Years After

The sleepy community of Lilu in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, was agog on Saturday with the election of Chief Godson Onyediri, an America-based legal luminary and lecturer as its traditional ruler.

The emergence of the new monarch came 34 years after the death of the last traditional ruler, the late Igwe Felix Olikagu in 1984. Since then, there had been one crisis after another with various interest groups making claims to the throne.

But the Lilu Chieftaincy Electoral Committee (LCEC) 2018, headed by Rev. Samson Okwudili, was set up to organise the election of a new traditional ruler for the community. Six persons – Chief Bernard Ebuzoeme, Chief Felix Ezenwajiugo, Nze Onuoha Otuogbajie Ezelibe, Chief. Godson Onyediri, Prof. Michael Obi Onyekonwu and Chief Ezeanyaezu Ihichukwu indicated interest and picked application forms. They also individually signed an undertaking to abide by the outcome, being the popular wish of the Lilu people.

Onyediri polled 1,148 votes to emerge victorious, beating his closest rival, Onyekonwu who got 622 votes to the second position. Ebuzoeme polled 459 votes; Onuoha got 290; Ihichukwu 184 and Ezenwajiugo polled 18 votes.

The Igwe-elect led in the celebration of the 2018 New Yam festival the next day, and topped it up with the thanksgiving service at St. Charles Catholic Church, All Saints Anglican Church and the Christ Holy Church, Odozi-Obodo, Igbe Lilu.

Meanwhile, the oil-rich Obotobe kingdom in Burutu local council of Delta State, have installed a new monarch. Kingmakers, chiefs and people of the kingdom crowned a new ruler, Emmanuel Wareweimi Arikawei as the Ebenanawei of Obotobe kingdom.

At the Ancestral Ogini Hall, the monarch was selected, crowned and introduced to the entire people of Obotobe kingdom by the duo of Pa. Aretekumo Bibai and Pa. Officerowei Kuruboke, the Amakosuowei and Egede-Okosuowei respectively.