By Raymond Ozoji, Awka
His Royal Highness, Igwe Gerald Mbamalu, Eze Ojoto III, has revealed that some opposition elements in his community are accusing him of offering a whopping sum of N70 Million bribe to ex-Governor Willie Obiano to become the traditional ruler of Ojoto community in Idemili-South Local Government Area of the state.
Mbamalu, who reacted to an alleged protest against him at the Anambra State Government House Awka recently by some Otu Omenani and G-24 Group from the community, further disclosed that the dissidents who had neither come to his palace to pay him homage since he was coronated in 2018 and issued Certificate of Recognition by government nor participated in any activity involving the traditional institution, also alleged that he bribed one Tim Menakaya with the sum of N50 Million to pave the way for his ascension to the throne of Ojoto community.
The accusations according to Igwe Mbamalu were orchestrated by one Dennis Adindu Okafor, whom he said had employed all manner of sinister plots including sponsoring fake protests against him just to frustrate him out of the throne.
Mbamalu who spoke with NewsProbe noted that the said Dennis Adindu Okafor had been a thorn in his flesh since 2017. He recalled that upon the demise of the former traditional ruler, the community called for Igweship election.
According to him, Dennis Adindu Okafor could not wait for the election and hurriedly crowned himself Igwe in an uncompleted building. But the community, he said, rejected him and insisted that election must hold where he won landslide and emerged the traditional ruler of Ojoto community.
He said he didn’t offer any penny to Obiano or anyone else; that his emergence as the traditional ruler of Ojoto community was the collective mandate of the people, adding that the machinations and malignancies of a minority group can not supercede the collective agreement of Ndi-Ojoto.
Igwe Mbamalu said, “That opposition started since 2018 when I was coronated as Igwe Ojoto. The man that said he is the right person to be in that position but he didn’t get it. So he has been using them to get back at me.
“There are court cases since 2018 against me. Their sponsor is Dennis Adindu Okafor. They have been going to governor to complain about me.
“They claimed that I gave Aguleri cabals N70 Million for me to become the traditional ruler. Even the governor knows that they are opposition in Ojoto community. They want me to vacate the throne so that Dennis Adindu Okafor will take over the throne.
“They tried to get court injunctions to stop my coronation, it didn’t work. Since the day I was coronated, it has been one court case or the other. If you go to Ogidi High Court it is there. If you go to Oba High Court it is there. They have a lot of court cases against me including that I am not the rightful candidate to ascend the throne because their preferred candidate is Dennis Adindu Okafor and he is the one sponsoring them against me.”
Mbamalu said the Constitution mandated his village to produce the candidate for the next Igwe but Dennis Adindu Okafor went and coronated himself by himself but government, according to him, wrote to him saying that it didn’t sanction it; that what he did was a charade because it didn’t follow due process. That government didn’t recognise him and he should not parade himself as Igwe.
“We were asked to commence the selection for a new Igwe after the demise of the old Igwe. This man did not wait for the process to commence; he went and crowned himself Igwe in an uncompleted building.
“So government wrote to him saying that he is not an Igwe and he should not parade himself as Igwe. That we should go back and commence the process. So at the end of the day, I emerged as Igwe and I was given certificate of recognition. I did my coronation.
“But he said he has done his coronation and can not step down anymore. That was the genesis of all his sinister plots against me. He said I gave Willie Obiano and Aguleri cabals N70 Million Bribe and also gave N50 Million Bribe to Tim Menakaya for me to become the traditional ruler of Ojoto.
“So ever since Dennis Adindu Okafor has been using one Anthony Uzokwe and some others to destabilize Ojoto with all manner of fake protests but the community has moved on with positive developments. Their stock in trade is to sponsor negative publications against me in the media just to smear and discredit me,” Mbamalu explained.
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